Findcate

Game 1 of the Lone Star Series went to the Texas Rangers on Friday night, and Round 1 of the Lance Berkman-Josh Hamilton showdown decisively went to the Rangers’ center fielder.

Hamilton had the best game of his brief big-league career, going 5-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI as the Rangers outlasted Houston 16-8 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

His bat was the biggest on a night when the Rangers had a season high in runs, had a season-best six homers among 17 hits and were the beneficiaries of five Astros errors and seven unearned runs before a crowd of 32,117.

Much of the talk afterward, though, was about Hamilton.

“He’s incredible,” right fielder David Murphy said. “You saw pretty much everything he can do tonight. I think it’s not a stretch to say he’s one of the best players in baseball.”

Hamilton, the AL’s player of the month in April, had career highs in hits and RBI, and his two home runs traveled an estimated 866 feet. He also made a nifty catch to end the fourth inning.

He has 10 homers and 49 RBI, which leads the majors. He has an AL-best 103 total bases, 13 of which came Friday. He’s the first Rangers’ player to have 13 in a game since Juan Gonzalez in 1999.

“That is how you play the game right there,” said Hamilton, who is hitting .314. “Some days you want to strangle people when you might not be doing so well. Then, you have games like that.”

Murphy got the Rangers going with a two-out RBI single in a three-run first. After the Astros scored two in the second, Hamilton hit a solo shot over the Rangers’ bullpen in the third that went an estimated 415 feet.

The Rangers scored four more in the fourth. The first came on a Jarrod Saltalamacchia homer, which traveled 440 feet. Hamilton followed soon after with his second, a three-run shot that went 451 feet.

“I said right before I went up, ‘I better hit one a little bit farther or he’s going to be ragging me all night,’” Hamilton said. “I got one.”

The Rangers were up 8-2, but Houston responded with five runs in the fifth. Nine Astros batted, and the inning ended only when Carlos Lee was thrown out at home as the potential tying run.

Berkman had a single off the leg of Sidney Ponson during the rally and finished 2-for-4.

Houston tied the game in the sixth, but the Rangers claimed the lead in the seventh thanks to Ian Kinsler.

He walked, stole second, and scored the go-ahead run on a disputed play after a Michael Young single. Replays showed that Kinsler was safe at home, but Astros manager Cecil Cooper argued and was ejected by first-base umpire Angel Hernandez.

Hamilton followed with his fifth hit, a triple, that put the Rangers up 10-8.

Then came the Rangers’ eighth. It started when Murphy — who was 3-for-6 with three RBI — homered to right, and didn’t end until Brandon Boggs grounded out 10 batters later. Included were homers by Chris Shelton and Young, and a walk to Hamilton that didn’t please the crowd.

“It’s one of those things where I’m glad I didn’t get out of what I wanted to do, and that was have a good at-bat,” Hamilton said. “I didn’t try to do too much.”

Tags: beneficiaries, best game, career highs, center fielder, Feast, game 1, home runs, homers, jarrod saltalamacchia, josh hamilton, juan gonzalez, lance berkman, league career, lone star, majors, rangers ballpark in arlington, rbi, right fielder, star series, texas rangers

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Not enough of the small music festivals that are proliferating in wineries, perhaps %26ndash; Coriole in the McLaren Vales, for instance, or Rochford Wines in the Yarra.
But certainly to all the majors in the state capitals plus Darwin and Canberra, with its National Folk Festival at Easter and its one-time Australian Theatre Festival.
I actually live in Sydney and it%26#39;s almost impossible to %26quot;do%26quot; a festival properly in your home town, because you%26#39;ve got silly things like the washing up to do, friends to visit and possibly even a job.
This hasn%26#39;t stopped me enjoying Sydney%26#39;s summer fun for 25 years, and encouraging others to come to a festival that%26#39;s gone from entertainment designed to keep Sydneysiders from heading %26quot;up the coast%26quot; to being a serious international player.
But a festival is all about intensity, a single-minded pursuit of the best, the most talked-about shows, whether they%26#39;re at 11 in the morning or after midnight the next day.
And though I retain a fondness for Perth, Australia%26#39;s oldest international arts festival which continues to inspire our remotest city, I simply have to report from the front in Adelaide.
For this biennial event %26ndash; the next is February/March 2010 %26ndash; has the arrogance to believe it%26#39;s %26quot;the%26quot; Australian arts festival, though deep down it knows it%26#39;s based on that epitome of Europeanness, the Edinburgh Festival.
Nevertheless, artists pour in in their thousands, the Aussie arts world gathers there to play and learn, and the planes are packed with visitors who are guaranteed all day long stimulation from not one, not two but about a dozen different festivals that never actually seem to come to blows.
For the main Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts is but a big name, two-week backdrop. Think international operas, theatre companies and dancers for an almost four-week Fringe with at least 550 different acts, a Writers%26#39; Week that%26#39;s almost as famous as its parent, an Artists%26#39; Week for the visual arts, Womadelaide the exotic, an International Buskers Festival and a Fuse Festival which seemed to be more about the business of music than its performance.
And as the Writers%26#39; Week tents are packed with ardent listeners in straw hats from 10 in the morning %26ndash; it%26#39;s %26quot;always%26quot; sunny at Festival time, by the way and this year came up with a two-week heatwave hitting 40 degrees %26ndash; and there%26#39;s sure to be something starting at 11pm in the Garden of Unearthly Delights, a tented area for Fringe performance and snacks in the Eastern parks, you never need to get bored.
But you do have to plan. In my case that%26#39;s mostly to make sure I get fed between events, for only the Writers%26#39; Week is thoughtful enough to allow you to munch on a roll and drain a cold Cooper%26#39;s while listening to Geraldine Brooks, Germaine Greer or Ian McEwan.
And in my case, an empty stomach is a serious distraction to an alert mind.
Luckily Adelaide is filled with more cafes, bars and restaurants than could possibly be peopled during the 100 weeks between festivals so it%26#39;s usually possible to sustain the inner man, though never enough time to drink an excess of alcohol that would send me to sleep in the next show.
In fact, you really need to plan one night off to take advantage of one of the top-end restaurants and several of the top-end local wines then, talking to fellow diners, you%26#39;ll discover all the sensational %26quot;mustn%26#39;t-miss%26quot; events that you have missed.
Possibly even before the food, planning needs to start with the accommodation, which gets over-booked during this time of Adelaide mayhem. It does need to be near the action, not up in the Hills or down by the sea.
You just haven%26#39;t got time for that much travel, and the trains stop at midnight.
But even in the centre %26ndash; and Adelaide%26#39;s blocks are surprisingly large when you%26#39;re tramping them at both midday and midnight %26ndash; it%26#39;s worth hiring a bike to sail to the next glorious event. The city is nothing if not dead flat.
And then there%26#39;s the artistry. While you%26#39;re sitting around at home with a month or so to go, that%26#39;s the time to salivate over the official festival program and pick out the shows that are going to make you feel grand, you hope.
Remember that a festival is not like your usual theatre or ballet season %26ndash; runs can be as short as one night, and, by definition, not all the goodies are available at the same time.
But in five days at this year%26#39;s Adelaide Festival, I picked up on a last tour by the 77-year-old Ornette Coleman, his fingers flying and his lungs blowing like a 20-year-old%26#39;s; a soaring choral Miserere in the cathedral; the Germans adding sex and spice to an old favourite play like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; and the Brits getting all post-colonial with an entirely Indian Midsummer Night%26#39;s Dream.
But having chosen and spread out your Big Shows, it%26#39;s vital to pick some possible losers as well.
Losers, you complain? Well I can assure you on the basis of this year%26#39;s festival, the Indian Dream was a loser for me because the poor old Poms don%26#39;t really understand physical theatre as many Australian directors do.
And The Word (a vital source of information) was that Goering%26#39;s Defence %26ndash; an unlikely show hearing why Goering was only trying to do the right thing during the War %26ndash; and The Window %26ndash; a beautiful play about, well, a window %26ndash; were much better nights in the theatre. Which is why you%26#39;ve left gaps in your schedule, to take advantage of hot stuff.
By now, too, you%26#39;ve picked up your Artists%26#39; and Writers%26#39; Week brochures and eagerly marked off the names of people you want to hear talk and tried to fit the times into your diary.
What have detective writer Peter Corris and Doris (Rabbit Proof Fence) Pilkington got in common? You could have found out in the East Tent at 2.15 on Monday; and chosen which one%26#39;s signature you%26#39;d queue for afterwards.
What are all those blank-faced blond Russian kids doing killing each other time after time in the video hit of the Venice Biennale now showing 10 to 5 daily in an Adelaide gallery?
Perhaps it would be safer to stick with the brilliantly explained Ngurrara Canvas at the SA Museum %26ndash; Aboriginal art as both land and land claim.
Which just leaves time to wind down in the deep cushions at the Persian Garden late night club, where, theoretically, everyone comes to report on their day and plan the next while nibbling Middle Eastern sweetmeats and trying to talk over the band.
I have to admit the club%26#39;s not worked for me since the brilliant Red Square was so good it became yet another festival in itself. Even better was being invited on to the Director%26#39;s table during David Blenkinsop%26#39;s long reign in Perth %26ndash; all the goss, the artists you%26#39;d just seen unwinding beside you and a sense of being at the beating heart of this diverse event.
And finding that heart is why concentrated cultural events %26ndash; think an operatic Ring Cycle or almost any one of Australia%26#39;s amazing 1300 festivals %26ndash; are increasingly challenging one-off gutsers like Formula 1 races or an endless parade of one-day cricket mis-matches for the mature tourist dollar.
IF YOU GO:
Visit: www.adelaidefestival.com.au

Tags: adelaide, europe, Food, ford, hats, ian mcewan, job, majors, perth

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The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Ian Poulter said Thursday a British golf magazine took his words out of context when it quoted him as saying when he reached his potential he would be the only one capable of challenging Tiger Woods.

The interview with Poulter, in the March edition of Golf World U.K., created a buzz at the Dubai Desert Classic, where Woods opened with a 7-under 65 to build a two-shot lead. Several British newspapers carried excerpts from the interview in Thursday’s editions.

Woods, the No. 1 player in the world with 13 majors, is coming off an eight-shot victory at the Buick Invitational in San Diego. Poulter is at No. 22 with seven career victories, the last one in 2006.

“The trouble is I don’t rate anyone else,” Poulter was quoted in the magazine. “Don’t get me wrong, I really respect every professional golfer, but I know I haven’t played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger.”

Poulter, a flamboyant 32-year-old Englishman, appears nude in the magazine behind a strategically placed golf bag.

“The whole answer to the question has been taken out of context,” Poulter said after opening with a 70 in Dubai.

The magazine’s editor, Chris Jones, said Poulter’s manager was pleased with the interview and suggested that people read the entire article.

“Ian’s manager is happy with the interview as it appeared in the March issue of Golf World magazine, where Ian’s comments can be seen in the full context they were intended. People should read the full interview, rather than the juicy soundbites picked up by the British media,” Jones said in an e-mail statement.

Tags: majors

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… well, at least we’d still have a good crop of
movies. Stephanie Bunbury reports on the trouble in Tinseltown -
and how one strike might overshadow a mini-revolution.
THE main question hovering around the Oscars at the moment is
not who will win what, but (a) whether they will happen at all, or
(b) if they will happen, but in someone’s lounge room with no more
than a few party hats and crackers to create festive sparks.
The Hollywood writers’ strike is now in its third month and
shows no sign of lifting. This means that the Oscars ceremony, or
whatever passes for it, will be unscripted and thinly populated, as
most actors will not be prepared to cross the Writers’ Guild picket
line even if a gold statuette is waiting on the other side.
Which is something of a pity, as the field of contenders is both
wide open and largely deserving, which would normally make for an
exciting night as the envelopes get opened. No Country for Old
Men, the wacky Coen brothers‘ bloody one-man epic, appears to
dominate the field, with eight nominations, but the brothers’
idiosyncratic coolness and the film’s violence means it is by no
means universally loved; it will be hotly contested in every
category.
In the acting divisions, the only dubious inclusion is Cate
Blanchett’s reprised Elizabeth, a curious choice given that
Elizabeth: the Golden Age was widely panned. All the other
nominees in these categories will have strong supporters, however
%26#151; young Saoirse Ronan in Atonement has been hailed a
revelation, while Cate Blanchett’s cross-dressing role as Bob Dylan
in I’m Not There is worth a dozen Virgin Queens %26#151;
making for a series of hot competitions.
Other categories are even less predictable. The contenders for
the screenplay trophies, for example, include four women as
first-time nominees (for Juno, Lars and the Real Girl
and The Savages in the original screenplay category, and
Sarah Polley for Away from Her in the adapted
screenplay).
The hot tip for an original screenplay is, inevitably, the
colourful Diablo Cody for Juno, but the other screenwriters
in the adapted section are all heavy hitters, including Christopher
Hampton for Atonement, and Ronald Harwood for The Diving
Bell and the Butterfly. It could be anyone’s. What is
particularly striking about this play-off, however, is that it is
largely taking place between niche mini-studios and the big
studios’ specialist units.
These small units, many of them thriving within the big studios,
have practically taken over the prestige end of Hollywood
filmmaking. It is astonishing how quickly this has happened. A few
years ago %26#151; in 2003, to be exact %26#151; Sofia Coppola’s clever
Lost in Translation was the cuckoo in a best-picture nest of
epic studio production, all with casts of (not necessarily human)
thousands and spare-no-expense art direction.
The general talk was that films would increasingly be about
special effects, and no studio would bother with anything that cost
less than $120 million. Bigger, in other words, had become the new
better.
But, over the past few years, that pattern has been reversed.
This year, the only studio represented in the best-picture
competition is Warner Brothers %26#151; and that is for Tony Gilroy’s
Michael Clayton, perhaps the most intellectually demanding
film on the list, with a plot that could be usefully unravelled by
lawyers and a dominant mood of weary moral confusion.
Of the other four contenders, No Country for Old Men and
Paul Thomas Anderson’s There will be Blood, the two films
with the most nominations, were shared by the recently refurbished
Miramax and Paramount Vantage, the studio’s boutique division.
Juno, the only comedy, was produced under the Fox
Searchlight banner, and the British wartime drama Atonement
was made by Working Title for the independent Focus Features.
All apart from Juno, moreover, are resolutely serious. If
there is a shared theme in this year’s Oscar nominees overall, it
is one of mordant disappointment with the state of the world.
In a recent interview with Variety, the film industry
magazine, producer Scott Rudin said that audiences were ready to
welcome films with morally complex themes, but big studios simply
weren’t making those films any more. Rudin produced No Country
for Old Men, and was executive producer on There will be
Blood.
“In many cases, the majors have given up the business of serious
movies, and the rise of specialty units has made possible movies
that wouldn’t have been made %26#151; or would not have been made
this well %26#151; just a few years ago,” he said. The specialised
market, agreed James Schamus, of Focus Features, has matured. “The
Academy and the public, in general, are more open to challenging
movies than ever before. It’s not a case of indies sneaking in
there.”
The results of this shift should make for a stimulating night’s
viewing on February 24 %26#151; if, of course, it happens.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed
that the show will go on in some form.
Gil Gates, who is producing the Oscar Awards telecast for the
14th time, has suggested that they may use clips of previous
ceremonies to make up a show that would be a kind of Oscar archive.
Otherwise, there may be a ceremony, but no telecast.
Or the Writers’ Guild may be persuaded to come to some sort of
one-day truce to allow America’s most popular annual broadcast to
go ahead.
Officially, the Academy is saying that the usual red-carpet
event will go on. Given the current stalemate between producers and
writers, however, what will happen on the night is a good deal more
mysterious than the likely winner of best actor. Daniel Day-Lewis
for There will be Blood, they say, but we’ll have to wait
and see.

Tags: appointment, brother, cars, cate, cate blanchett, contenders, disappointment, hats, heavy hitters, hollywood, majors, rbi, special effects

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… well, at least we’d still have a good crop of
movies. Stephanie Bunbury reports on the trouble in Tinseltown -
and how one strike might overshadow a mini-revolution.
THE main question hovering around the Oscars at the moment is
not who will win what, but (a) whether they will happen at all, or
(b) if they will happen, but in someone’s lounge room with no more
than a few party hats and crackers to create festive sparks.
The Hollywood writers’ strike is now in its third month and
shows no sign of lifting. This means that the Oscars ceremony, or
whatever passes for it, will be unscripted and thinly populated, as
most actors will not be prepared to cross the Writers’ Guild picket
line even if a gold statuette is waiting on the other side.
Which is something of a pity, as the field of contenders is both
wide open and largely deserving, which would normally make for an
exciting night as the envelopes get opened. No Country for Old
Men, the wacky Coen brothers‘ bloody one-man epic, appears to
dominate the field, with eight nominations, but the brothers’
idiosyncratic coolness and the film’s violence means it is by no
means universally loved; it will be hotly contested in every
category.
In the acting divisions, the only dubious inclusion is Cate
Blanchett’s reprised Elizabeth, a curious choice given that
Elizabeth: the Golden Age was widely panned. All the other
nominees in these categories will have strong supporters, however
%26#151; young Saoirse Ronan in Atonement has been hailed a
revelation, while Cate Blanchett’s cross-dressing role as Bob Dylan
in I’m Not There is worth a dozen Virgin Queens %26#151;
making for a series of hot competitions.
Other categories are even less predictable. The contenders for
the screenplay trophies, for example, include four women as
first-time nominees (for Juno, Lars and the Real Girl
and The Savages in the original screenplay category, and
Sarah Polley for Away from Her in the adapted
screenplay).
The hot tip for an original screenplay is, inevitably, the
colourful Diablo Cody for Juno, but the other screenwriters
in the adapted section are all heavy hitters, including Christopher
Hampton for Atonement, and Ronald Harwood for The Diving
Bell and the Butterfly. It could be anyone’s. What is
particularly striking about this play-off, however, is that it is
largely taking place between niche mini-studios and the big
studios’ specialist units.
These small units, many of them thriving within the big studios,
have practically taken over the prestige end of Hollywood
filmmaking. It is astonishing how quickly this has happened. A few
years ago %26#151; in 2003, to be exact %26#151; Sofia Coppola’s clever
Lost in Translation was the cuckoo in a best-picture nest of
epic studio production, all with casts of (not necessarily human)
thousands and spare-no-expense art direction.
The general talk was that films would increasingly be about
special effects, and no studio would bother with anything that cost
less than $120 million. Bigger, in other words, had become the new
better.
But, over the past few years, that pattern has been reversed.
This year, the only studio represented in the best-picture
competition is Warner Brothers %26#151; and that is for Tony Gilroy’s
Michael Clayton, perhaps the most intellectually demanding
film on the list, with a plot that could be usefully unravelled by
lawyers and a dominant mood of weary moral confusion.
Of the other four contenders, No Country for Old Men and
Paul Thomas Anderson’s There will be Blood, the two films
with the most nominations, were shared by the recently refurbished
Miramax and Paramount Vantage, the studio’s boutique division.
Juno, the only comedy, was produced under the Fox
Searchlight banner, and the British wartime drama Atonement
was made by Working Title for the independent Focus Features.
All apart from Juno, moreover, are resolutely serious. If
there is a shared theme in this year’s Oscar nominees overall, it
is one of mordant disappointment with the state of the world.
In a recent interview with Variety, the film industry
magazine, producer Scott Rudin said that audiences were ready to
welcome films with morally complex themes, but big studios simply
weren’t making those films any more. Rudin produced No Country
for Old Men, and was executive producer on There will be
Blood.
“In many cases, the majors have given up the business of serious
movies, and the rise of specialty units has made possible movies
that wouldn’t have been made %26#151; or would not have been made
this well %26#151; just a few years ago,” he said. The specialised
market, agreed James Schamus, of Focus Features, has matured. “The
Academy and the public, in general, are more open to challenging
movies than ever before. It’s not a case of indies sneaking in
there.”
The results of this shift should make for a stimulating night’s
viewing on February 24 %26#151; if, of course, it happens.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed
that the show will go on in some form.
Gil Gates, who is producing the Oscar Awards telecast for the
14th time, has suggested that they may use clips of previous
ceremonies to make up a show that would be a kind of Oscar archive.
Otherwise, there may be a ceremony, but no telecast.
Or the Writers’ Guild may be persuaded to come to some sort of
one-day truce to allow America’s most popular annual broadcast to
go ahead.
Officially, the Academy is saying that the usual red-carpet
event will go on. Given the current stalemate between producers and
writers, however, what will happen on the night is a good deal more
mysterious than the likely winner of best actor. Daniel Day-Lewis
for There will be Blood, they say, but we’ll have to wait
and see.

Tags: appointment, brother, cars, cate, cate blanchett, contenders, disappointment, hats, heavy hitters, hollywood, majors, rbi, special effects

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to Grade A Plus

The Hawk Eye

The Burlington Bees and the Midwest League are proud to support Red Ribbon Week and the overall work of Grade A Plus with a $558 contribution. Grade A Plus Director Michelle Williams was at Community Field Wednesday to accept the money.

The money for this contribution was made available through the Midwest League office. At the end of each season, the MWL office takes all of the fine money it collected from players and coaches during the year for violations of the on-field behavioral policy and divides it evenly among its 14 teams.

Each team then has the opportunity to give that money to a local non-profit organization in its own community. Fines are collected each time a player, manager, or coach is ejected from a Midwest League game for any reason.

“On behalf of our staff and the Midwest League, we’re proud to make this contribution to Grade A Plus,” Bees General Manager Chuck Brockett said. “The volunteers for Grade A Plus provide a valuable service to our community and we want to help them continue to make a positive impact on the kids and families in the area that make up such an important part of our fan base.

“I’d like to thank the Midwest League for continuing this terrific program and giving us the money in time to make this contribution as part of the Red Ribbon Week festivities.”

“On behalf of the coalition of Grade A Plus, we are very grateful to the Burlington Bees for this contribution,” Williams said. “We appreciate the dedication of the Bees management, staff, and players to create a healthy community and healthy youth.”

The Midwest League established this program seven years ago and since its inception, each team has been able to contribute nearly $6,500 to groups in their community. In addition to Grade A Plus, the Bees have also contributed to the Special Olympics, the YMCA Youth Sports programs, the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, Younghouse Family Services, Hope Haven, Alcohol %26amp; Drug Dependency Services (ADDS), and the American Cancer Society.

Buck O’Neil honored by Hall of Fame

The Associated Press

BOSTON — One of the game’s most beloved ambassadors, Buck O’Neil was posthumously honored Wednesday by the Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement Award named in his memory.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was on hand for the announcement at Fenway Park before the World Series opener between Colorado and Boston.

O’Neil, a Negro Leagues star and the first black coach in the majors, fell two votes shy of induction into the Hall of Fame during a special election in February 2006. He died last October at age 94.

A statue of O’Neil will be erected inside the museum, and the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to a worthy recipient no more than every three years.

“His impact on the game has been enormous,” Selig said. “He’s now in Cooperstown where he belongs.”

Leftwich undergoes surgery on ankle

The Associated Press

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Byron Leftwich underwent surgery on his right ankle Wednesday and will be out three to four weeks.

In his first game as the Falcons starter, Leftwich sustained a high ankle sprain against New Orleans on Sunday.

The surgical procedure will help speed the recovery process, coach Bobby Petrino said.

“He had a procedure done this morning that is a very aggressive procedure,” Petrino said after practice. “They actually go in and put a couple screws in there and it helps it heal faster.”

Offensive tackle Todd Weiner underwent the same procedure a couple of weeks ago.

Tags: majors, ups

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• What if Oscar threw a party, and nobody came …
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… well, at least we’d still have a good crop of
movies. Stephanie Bunbury reports on the trouble in Tinseltown -
and how one strike might overshadow a mini-revolution.
THE main question hovering around the Oscars at the moment is
not who will win what, but (a) whether they will happen at all, or
(b) if they will happen, but in someone’s lounge room with no more
than a few party hats and crackers to create festive sparks.
The Hollywood writers’ strike is now in its third month and
shows no sign of lifting. This means that the Oscars ceremony, or
whatever passes for it, will be unscripted and thinly populated, as
most actors will not be prepared to cross the Writers’ Guild picket
line even if a gold statuette is waiting on the other side.
Which is something of a pity, as the field of contenders is both
wide open and largely deserving, which would normally make for an
exciting night as the envelopes get opened. No Country for Old
Men, the wacky Coen brothers‘ bloody one-man epic, appears to
dominate the field, with eight nominations, but the brothers’
idiosyncratic coolness and the film’s violence means it is by no
means universally loved; it will be hotly contested in every
category.
In the acting divisions, the only dubious inclusion is Cate
Blanchett’s reprised Elizabeth, a curious choice given that
Elizabeth: the Golden Age was widely panned. All the other
nominees in these categories will have strong supporters, however
%26#151; young Saoirse Ronan in Atonement has been hailed a
revelation, while Cate Blanchett’s cross-dressing role as Bob Dylan
in I’m Not There is worth a dozen Virgin Queens %26#151;
making for a series of hot competitions.
Other categories are even less predictable. The contenders for
the screenplay trophies, for example, include four women as
first-time nominees (for Juno, Lars and the Real Girl
and The Savages in the original screenplay category, and
Sarah Polley for Away from Her in the adapted
screenplay).
The hot tip for an original screenplay is, inevitably, the
colourful Diablo Cody for Juno, but the other screenwriters
in the adapted section are all heavy hitters, including Christopher
Hampton for Atonement, and Ronald Harwood for The Diving
Bell and the Butterfly. It could be anyone’s. What is
particularly striking about this play-off, however, is that it is
largely taking place between niche mini-studios and the big
studios’ specialist units.
These small units, many of them thriving within the big studios,
have practically taken over the prestige end of Hollywood
filmmaking. It is astonishing how quickly this has happened. A few
years ago %26#151; in 2003, to be exact %26#151; Sofia Coppola’s clever
Lost in Translation was the cuckoo in a best-picture nest of
epic studio production, all with casts of (not necessarily human)
thousands and spare-no-expense art direction.
The general talk was that films would increasingly be about
special effects, and no studio would bother with anything that cost
less than $120 million. Bigger, in other words, had become the new
better.
But, over the past few years, that pattern has been reversed.
This year, the only studio represented in the best-picture
competition is Warner Brothers %26#151; and that is for Tony Gilroy’s
Michael Clayton, perhaps the most intellectually demanding
film on the list, with a plot that could be usefully unravelled by
lawyers and a dominant mood of weary moral confusion.
Of the other four contenders, No Country for Old Men and
Paul Thomas Anderson’s There will be Blood, the two films
with the most nominations, were shared by the recently refurbished
Miramax and Paramount Vantage, the studio’s boutique division.
Juno, the only comedy, was produced under the Fox
Searchlight banner, and the British wartime drama Atonement
was made by Working Title for the independent Focus Features.
All apart from Juno, moreover, are resolutely serious. If
there is a shared theme in this year’s Oscar nominees overall, it
is one of mordant disappointment with the state of the world.
In a recent interview with Variety, the film industry
magazine, producer Scott Rudin said that audiences were ready to
welcome films with morally complex themes, but big studios simply
weren’t making those films any more. Rudin produced No Country
for Old Men, and was executive producer on There will be
Blood.
“In many cases, the majors have given up the business of serious
movies, and the rise of specialty units has made possible movies
that wouldn’t have been made %26#151; or would not have been made
this well %26#151; just a few years ago,” he said. The specialised
market, agreed James Schamus, of Focus Features, has matured. “The
Academy and the public, in general, are more open to challenging
movies than ever before. It’s not a case of indies sneaking in
there.”
The results of this shift should make for a stimulating night’s
viewing on February 24 %26#151; if, of course, it happens.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed
that the show will go on in some form.
Gil Gates, who is producing the Oscar Awards telecast for the
14th time, has suggested that they may use clips of previous
ceremonies to make up a show that would be a kind of Oscar archive.
Otherwise, there may be a ceremony, but no telecast.
Or the Writers’ Guild may be persuaded to come to some sort of
one-day truce to allow America’s most popular annual broadcast to
go ahead.
Officially, the Academy is saying that the usual red-carpet
event will go on. Given the current stalemate between producers and
writers, however, what will happen on the night is a good deal more
mysterious than the likely winner of best actor. Daniel Day-Lewis
for There will be Blood, they say, but we’ll have to wait
and see.

Tags: appointment, brother, cars, cate, cate blanchett, contenders, disappointment, hats, heavy hitters, hollywood, majors, rbi, special effects

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By JOHN PYE

The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia — Maria Sharapova looked up and spotted a 7-month-old kid staring her down.

“I thought I saw her little kid giving me dirty looks,” Sharapova said.

The boy, Jagger, was courtside. His mom, Lindsay Davenport, winner of three Grand Slam titles and with a 19-1 record since returning to the tour, was across the net.

Sharapova beat Davenport 6-1, 6-3 Wednesday night to move into the third round of the Australian Open against a fellow Russian, Elena Vesnina.

“Tell you the truth, I approached it like it’s a final,” said Sharapova, straying from her ‘one-match-at-a-time’ mantra. “Ever since I took a peek at the draw and saw that Lindsay was second round.”

Davenport was only five tournaments into a comeback after giving birth to Jagger last June. Still, Sharapova was preparing for a matchup worthy of the second week of a major.

“You probably don’t get to see too many second rounds where you see two Grand Slams champions, former No. 1s playing against each other,” she said. “The buildup to the match, the excitement, the showtime — I love that. As an athlete, that’s what you play for.”

And that’s probably what brought Davenport back.

“It was fun. The crowd was great. I wish I could’ve given them a little more to cheer for,” the 31-year-old Californian said. “The key was starting off well, and I really didn’t do that.”

Sharapova never faced a break point. She broke for the fourth time when Davenport netted a forehand on second match point.

“I’m disappointed with the way this match went and this tournament went, but I have to look big picture at this point in my career,” Davenport said. “So far it’s gone pretty well the last few months.”

Justine Henin could say the same about her time back on the tour after a marriage breakup that kept her from Melbourne last year. She dominated the rest of the 2007 season with a 63-4 record, including wins at the French and U.S. Opens.

Her 6-1, 7-5 victory over Russia’s Olga Poutchkova on Wednesday extended the Belgian’s streak to 30 consecutive wins since an upset semifinal loss to Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon.

No. 3 Jelena Jankovic, who had to save three match points in a 22-game third set in the first round, had a routine 6-2, 7-5 win over Edina Gallovits in the second round.

Serena Williams made a comeback of her own last year, capturing an eighth Grand Slam title with an emphatic victory over Sharapova in the Australia Open final only three weeks after one of her worst career losses in a tournament at Hobart. She was ranked No. 81 and was only the second unseeded woman to win a Grand Slam title.

Now ranked No. 7, she’s growing in confidence for an Australian title defense. She improved her record to 25-1 in her five most recent trips to Melbourne Park with a 6-3, 6-1 win over China’s Yuan Meng.

Sister Venus, whose first-round win was her first at Melbourne Park since a fourth-round exit in 2005, is in the opposite half of the draw.

Venus, ranked No. 8, plays Camil Pin first up on Vodafone Arena on Thursday, with No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova beginning play on center court against Tsvetana Pironkova.

Roger Federer is next at Rod Laver Arena against French veteran Fabrice Santoro, playing in a record 62nd Grand Slam tournament. Federer has reached the finals of the last 10 majors, winning eight of those to move within two of Pete Sampras’ record 14 Grand Slam titles. He’s 27-1 at the season’s opening major since the start of 2004.

Two men who beat him last season, No. 3 Novak Djokovic and No. 10 David Nalbandian, also play in the second round Thursday.

No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the only man to beat Federer in the last 10 majors — both times in the French Open finals — made the third round with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Frenchman Florent Serra. The Spaniard is enjoying extra bite on his heavy slice and topspin on the new, blue Plexicushion surface. His only major titles have come on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Andy Roddick’s only major title was the U.S. Open in 2003. Since February the following year, he’s been in the pack chasing Federer. He fired 10 aces and hit 34 winners in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Germany’s Michael Berrer in Wednesday’s last match. Despite a nearly flawless performance, his two swings and misses drew the crowd’s attention.

“I wanted everyone here to relate a little bit,” he joked. “I have no other reason.”

Mardy Fish, Roddick’s friend and Davis Cup teammate, ousted No. 11 Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

Also advancing were No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny, No. 20 Ivo Karlovic and No. 23 Paul-Henri Mathieu also advanced.

On the women’s side, 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo needed 10 match points to beat Yaroslava Shvedova and advanced with No. 11 Elena Dementieva, No. 12 Nicole Vaidisova and No. 17 Shahar Peer.

Davenport will now pack her tennis gear and baby accessories and head for Fed Cup duties, then some tournaments in the United States. Having Jagger and husband Jon Leach around gives her a healthy perspective on wins and losses.

“I still feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” she said.

Sharapova was the first Grand Slam winner she played since her comeback, and Davenport acknowledged the Russian was “head and shoulders above me.” Still, she thinks she can get back to the top 10 by the end of the year.

“I obviously need a lot more tournaments to play and need to improve my level,” she said. “But I totally believe I can achieve that.”

Tags: champion, dirt, majors, ups

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By JOHN PYE

The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia — Without the glare of the cameras, or the roar of an appreciative crowd, Roger Federer shanked forehands and hit some backhands long inside Rod Laver Arena.

His girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec, was with him at Melbourne Park’s center court, wearing flip-flops in the intense heat and collecting wayward balls as Federer hit with Swiss Davis Cup captain Serevin Luethi.

That’s as close as the 12-time Grand Slam champion got to a match situation this week before beginning his bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title.

It’s a radically different buildup to the tournament for Federer.

Unable to enter his regular tuneup, the Kooyong exhibition tournament, because of a stomach illness, Federer has been easing himself back into shape for his first competitive tennis in two months.

Federer isn’t worried, saying he wouldn’t have hung around Melbourne if he didn’t believe he could win the Australian Open, which starts Monday.

“I definitely think it’s going to turn for the good and I’ll be 100 percent, really, before the tournament,” Federer said.

Even so, while Federer was hitting at Melbourne Park, his competitors have been playing matches.

No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the only player to beat Federer at a Grand Slam tournament in the last two seasons, reached the final at Chennai, India, last week. No. 3 Novak Djokovic helped Serbia reach the Hopman Cup final in Perth.

No. 6 Andy Roddick, who beat Federer in the Kooyong final last year before losing a one-sided semifinal at the Australian Open, defeated Marat Safin in the second round of Kooyong on Thursday.

“I can safely say none of us here are worried about Roger’s preparations for the Australian Open,” said Roddick, jokingly speaking on behalf of the rest of men’s bracket. “I think I’ll sleep OK!”

Taking a more realistic tone, Roddick later said Federer would cope better than most put in the same situation.

“If there’s anybody who can take care of himself and play his way into form, it’s Roger.”

Serena Williams faced a worse predicament last year. Her loss in Hobart the week before was among her worst ever and she entered the Australian Open ranked No. 81 and unseeded.

Yet she beat six seeded players en route to the final, capping it with a lopsided win over top-seeded Maria Sharapova.

Williams’ only warmup this year was at the Hopman Cup, where she teamed with Mardy Fish in the American victory over Serbia in the final.

After confounding her critics last year, Williams was confident of returning to capture a ninth Grand Slam title.

“There’s nothing better than a challenge, and I’m best when I am faced with one,” she said. “I am definitely feeling fully prepared.”

Her record at Melbourne Park almost rivals Federer’s, although it is more sporadic. She has lost only once since a quarterfinal defeat in 2001, although she has missed two trips because of injuries.

This year, she’s got the full complement of female stars to deal with.

Her sister Venus is back after skipping Melbourne last year because of a wrist problem. Later in 2007, Venus claimed her fourth Wimbledon title and sixth major overall.

“It is very exciting, especially going into the Australian, playing so well,” Venus said last week after her straight-sets win over Sharapova in the Hong Kong exhibition tournament.

Justine Henin won the French and U.S. Opens in 2007 and would like to continue that run at the Australian Open, where success has eluded her the last two years. She quit during the 2006 final against Amelie Mauresmo because of a stomach illness and missed last year’s tournament because she was going through a divorce.

Henin has won 43 of her last 44 matches, a stretch that began at the French Open and includes her run to the final at the Sydney International this week.

“I can say (2007) has been the best season of my career, but it has probably been the most difficult year of my life,” Henin said.

She split with husband Pierre-Yves Hardenne and renewed relations with estranged family members.

“The fact that I have my family back in my life changed a lot of things and brought me a lot of joy to do what I love so much,” she said. “I think I remained pretty healthy also in 2007, so that helps to be more consistent and that gives confidence.”

The 25-year-old Belgian had a 94 percent winning percentage rate last season, the best on the women’s tour since Steffi Graf in 1989, giving her a firm grip on the No. 1 ranking ahead of Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, both of Serbia.

Another former No. 1, Lindsay Davenport, is making a comeback as a mom. And the American is on a roll of her own.

Davenport won in Auckland last week for her third title in four events since giving birth last June to her first child, son Jagger.

“I didn’t think my body would bounce back as fast as it has after giving birth, and the strain of pregnancy,” she said, “so I’m excited now about going to the huge stage of the Australian Open and seeing what can happen.”

Davenport won the last of her three majors in Australia in 2000 before the Williams sisters began dominating the tour.

About the time the Williams sisters were relinquishing their grip on the women’s game, Federer started his reign atop the men’s rankings — and has remained there.

He is aiming to be the first man to win three consecutive Australian Opens in the Open era and wants to add to his run of 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals.

To do it at Rod Laver Arena, which he has made his own, he’ll also have to contend with a new surface, the blue Plexicushion that replaced the Rebound Ace at Melbourne Park.

And while he’s had some practice on the new surface, competitors such as Roddick, Safin, Fernando Gonzalez and Marcos Baghdatis — the last two were runners-up in the Australian Open — have been getting match practice on the Plexicushion across town at Kooyong.

On the plus side for Federer is that three players who have beaten him more than once since he assumed the No. 1 ranking in 2004 also have not had match time on the new surface.

Tags: champion, majors, perth, rbi

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As the powers-that-be struggle to rescue cricket from the morass
into which it has sunk, they should take another look at a proposed
solution that has lain in their files disregarded for almost a
decade.
That solution was put forward by the former England captain and
president of the MCC and the International Cricket Council, Colin
Cowdrey, in 1999.
Sensing that standards of behaviour were in danger of slipping
in the direction that they have now gone, he put together a group
of players and administrators to try to stop the rot. Their
solution was a code of conduct that players should voluntarily
pledge to adhere to.
They introduced it as a preamble to the laws of the game in 2000
and called it “The spirit of cricket”.
The code opens by noting that “cricket is a game that owes much
of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only
within its laws but also within the spirit of the game. Any action
which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game
itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair
play rests with the captains.”
After stating that the umpires are the sole judges of fair and
unfair play, it goes on: “The spirit of the game involves RESPECT
[Cowdrey's capitals] for your opponents, your own captain and team,
the role of the umpires and the game’s traditional values.
“It is against the spirit of the game to dispute an umpire’s
decision by word, action or gesture, or to direct abusive language
towards an opponent or umpire.
“It is against the spirit of the game to indulge in cheating or
any sharp practice, for instance: to appeal knowing that the
batsman is not out; to advance towards an umpire in an aggressive
manner when appealing; or to seek to distract an opponent either
verbally or by harassment %26#133;
“Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a
cricket match. Every player is expected to make an important
contribution to this.”
Had this code been followed, sledging would have been finished.
Nor would we have had to put up with such antics as Harbhajan
Singh’s ridiculous cartwheels of joy on dismissing Ricky Ponting,
Andrew Symonds’s failure to walk despite being fully aware that he
had been caught, and the Australian team’s orgy of
self-congratulation at the end of the match while India’s captain,
Anil Kumble, was allowed to leave the field without a hint of
congratulations or sympathy from his opponents.
It’s not hard to imagine Cowdrey, who died in 2000, looking down
on this sorry spectacle, shaking his head and thinking that
whatever game they were playing in Sydney last weekend, it
certainly wasn’t cricket.
Les Anderson Wahroonga
Don’t blame the banks - they’re just doing their job
Wayne Swan is naive to demand an explanation from ANZ for their
recent mortgage rate rise (”ANZ rates row with Treasurer
escalates”, January 9). He clearly lacks a basic understanding of
the recent turmoil in the credit markets and its implications.
ANZ’s cost of wholesale funds has increased nearly 300 per cent
over the past six months, as it has for the other three majors.
They typically rely on the wholesale markets for half their funding
needs. To suggest ANZ and the other banks should wear this extra
cost is ridiculous.
The simple fact is the cost of money is going up and this is now
being passed on to borrowers, as it should be. This is basic
business. The decision to raise rates would not be made lightly,
given the risk to market share and unwanted media attention, but
the bankers’ first priority is to their shareholders (of which I am
not one).
I hold a mortgage but for me to expect the banks not to pass on
the higher cost of funds would be a bit like me asking Mr Swan not
to charge me tax this week because I lost my wallet %26#133; it ain’t
going to happen.
Damian Eckersley Crows Nest
It’s unclear what Wayne Swan is trying to do by berating banks
for raising mortgage rates in response to higher borrowing costs in
international markets. If he has a problem with this, he should be
looking at further deregulation and/or reducing market
concentration in the banking sector, not pressuring banks to set
whatever rate he thinks is best. Surely Mr Swan does not want a
return to the days when bank margins were heavily regulated or set
by the government, when credit was unavailable to most and
innovation in the economy was stifled as a result.
Brad Ruting Woolloomooloo
Wayne Swan must be forgetting something. Financial markets are
deregulated. They were deregulated under the previous federal Labor
government. Banks are free to decide their rates and customers are
free to change banks if they are unhappy. No one need explain
anything other than the implementation of the policy of Mr Swan’s
political predecessors.
Luke Toland Burwood
The banks are exposed to the US subprime mortgage crisis. While
it seems there is no legal obligation, is there not an ethical
obligation to pass this cost onto shareholders in the form of
decreased dividends, and not onto mortgage holders as increased
interest rates? Investors buy shares knowing there is inherent risk
in doing so; the rest of us just want a fair rate on our mortgage.
NAB and ANZ have given further proof that it is the shareholder,
not the customer, who is served first.
Daniel McClintock North Parramatta
The banks need some real competition so they will think twice
before raising their interest rates. How about a national people’s
bank run by the Federal Government? It could be called the
Common%26#133; oh! Well, maybe the Australia Bank.
Brendan Kavanagh Condell Park
No balls! ICC fails the leadership test
A very damaging precedent was set with the sacking of the Test
umpire Darrell Hair after Pakistan objected to the zealous nature
of his umpiring.
Now we see the most experienced umpire in the history of the
game, Steve Bucknor, unceremoniously dumped because of India’s
threats.
When will Malcolm Speed and the ICC show some backbone and not
pander to the ridiculous demands of Test nations’ boards? When will
the ICC support its elected decision makers?
It’s Speed who should be sacked.
Gerard Boyle Neutral Bay
Everyone seems to be forgetting the humiliation that Steve
Bucknor has suffered. That such a popular and humble servant of the
game has been removed in such a fashion is a disgrace to cricket.
Who would want to umpire a Test with India now?
David Molloy Spring Hill (Qld)
You say that 60 per cent of Herald readers agreed with
Peter Roebuck (”Scandal generates a huge response”, January 9).
However, if you looked at any of the blogs, they are infested with
vitriol from Indian cricket fans who are obviously not
Herald readers but just trying to register their grumpiness
with Australian cricket.
David Richardson Red Hill (ACT)
I think it was Arjuna Ranatunga who suggested onfield
microphones be turned up in order to expose the truth of what is
said during play.
I say go one step further. Wireless technology should make it
relatively easy for all players to be miked. The bullies, racist or
otherwise, could be easily exposed and players might be encouraged
to just shut up and play.
Cliff Jahnsen Bowral
Aaron Timms (”Black day for cricket when we walk away”, January
9) must be promoted in place of Peter Roebuck. I haven’t had a
better laugh at a piece of satire in years. Even taken literally,
Timms’s proposals sound more reasonable than Roebuck’s.
Aaron, if you take requests, please do Gerard Henderson
next.
Bruce Russell Boronia (Vic)
Aaron Timms is not sure who should receive an apology from Tony
Greig.
I would suggest everyone who watches cricket.
Colin Stokes Glebe
Your front-page banner [early editions] carries a picture of
Lleyton Hewitt making a threatening gesture and your report
(”Aggressive Hewitt shows he still has plenty of fire”, January 9)
gives prominence to his swearing and venting frustration on the
umpire.
Seems our problems with unsporting behaviour are not confined to
cricket.
Keith Houghton North Richmond
Shameful response

If only the callous treatment of victims of rape in rural NSW got
the same response as an alleged racial slur in a cricket match,
there might be some action taken to resolve the problem (”Rape
victims suffer ordeal to get medical tests”, January 9).
The lack of commitment to deal with shamefully high rates of
sexual assault in rural areas reeks of bureaucratic and financial
small-mindedness. The trauma and humiliation of so many abused
women who lack access to proper justice persists.
I’ll bet the money from those gratuitous Kentucky Fried Chicken
ads would go a long way to solving the problem for these
unforgivably forgotten women.
Bruce Spence Balmain
Dog-haters, take a walk

As a dog owner I am grateful to Sydney City Council for considering
allowing off-leash parks (”Plan won’t lead to dogs running wild:
mayor”, January 9). All dogs need to run free for at least 30
minutes every day. Under the current restrictions, this isn’t
possible for a lot of dog owners to achieve, thus there are a lot
of unhappy dogs around and just as many distressed owners.
For those people who complain that some dogs annoy them at
picnics, I would remind them that for every badly behaved dog there
is at least one badly behaved child that is equally annoying.
To those people who don’t like dogs in parks - maybe they could
move to one of the 300 other parks that don’t allow dogs. The odds
are in your favour: we have only 50.
David Polson Potts Point
Schools for scandal

So a secret federal report has finally admitted that the SES
funding formula for private schools is at best “inequitable,
unsustainable or unfair” and at worst “corrupt” (”School funding
flaws hidden”, January 9).
It is time to publish the report in full and rectify decades of
maladministration of public funds.
Judy King Principal, Riverside Girls
High School
Lest any readers be misled by Brian O’Donnell (Letters, January
9), supervision - and organisation - of extracurricular activities
such as camps, choir and drama productions, sports events and many
others, are also carried out by teachers at state schools for no
extra remuneration.
Kathleen Chivers Vincentia
The juror’s still out

John Hatzistergos’s response to the Law Reform Commission report on
jury pay is laughable and predictable (”Lawyers back call for
overhaul of jury pay, exemptions”, January 9). The commissions
proposals, attempting to increase the percentage of potential
jurors empanelled, must be progress.
Hatzistergos’s response is to call for submissions, which is
political-speak for: “It is too hard and/or we can’t afford it, and
will defer making a decision until the next review/crisis point is
reached.”
Justice is being short-changed by the real and perceived
disadvantages experienced by jurors. These are not just financial.
I have witnessed the personal costs of being a juror at first hand.
The concepts of “no disadvantage” and “returning a juror’s
situation to that in existence prior to being empanelled” have to
be addressed, or I for one will continue to warn friends and family
of the negative personal implications of jury service.
Mark Herron Hurstville
Warne’s a good sport

As arguably the greatest bowler who has ever lived, Shane Warne is
highly deserving of his honorary doctorate (Letters, January 7).
His sporting success is an inspiration to young people across
the globe, and is particularly close to our hearts here at
Southampton Solent University, given our commitment to sporting
excellence. I can assure you there was nothing cynical in Shane’s
response to the award.
Shane has played a key role in the success and popularity of
cricket in the Hampshire region - a further reason, we believe, to
recognise his achievements. The university always looks for this
kind of local community connection when awarding its honorary
degrees.
Professor Van Gore Vice-chancellor, Southampton Solent
University
The bush deserves better broadband

Now that Optus has acquired the regional wireless broadband
spectrum from Austar, maybe the bush has the real prospect of a
workable and competitive broadband system at last. A smart Kevin
Rudd will subsidise it and make good his promise of a national
broadband service.
If he was hoping satellite was going to do the job, forget it.
Satellite broadband is only one rung up from soup tins and string
and becoming very expensive in spite of its inefficiency and
unreliability. Satellite operators are plundering us before any
real opposition appears on the horizon. Optus has done a great job
in the cities with broadband and we can only hope it can develop a
competitive service for rural and regional Australia.
Danny Mackay Dungog
On a good wicket

As retired prime ministers earn truckloads of money in retirement
from consultancies, speeches and the like, surely it is
unreasonable for the taxpayer to subsidise their office and
transport needs (Letters, January 9)? A review of these benefits
and those of former governors-general is long overdue.

Daryl Jordan Denistone
The reason John Howard needs a research assistant is probably
that he cannot remember what he said he didn’t know but did know
and what he said he knew but didn’t know.
Andrew Partos Seaforth
Baby makes three

Nicole Kidman is quoted as saying that she would be really sad if
she “wasn’t able to have a baby” (”Rumours true at last”, January
9). I wonder what the two babies she has already “had” think about
that comment.

Michelle Willoughby Naremburn
Bare necessities

“Skinny-dipping can be a spontaneous thing if you are fortunate
enough to have all the right gear with you,” says Cate Molloy
(”Welcome to no wear”, January 9). I thought the whole point of
skinny-dipping was that you didn’t have any gear with you.

Paula Wilson Surry Hills
Great photo of a leaping male nude. Has he been gelded or has
there been extensive use of the airbrush?
Bob Doepel Fernmount
Unfitting tribute

Sue Cartledge (Letters, January would be very disappointed if
she visited the Lewis Hoad Reserve today.

The sign placed there by Leichhardt Council when the pocket park
was dedicated to the memory of the great man has been removed and
replaced with a tiny metal plate that can be seen only by getting
down on all fours.
The reserve is mentioned fondly by Jenny Hoad in My Life With
Lew and no doubt she would be very sad to see that the new
custodians of the park have removed any acknowledgement of one of
Glebe’s most famous residents.
Jim Oman Glebe
That Elvis magic

Daily Planner pondered the plural of Elvis (January 9). The Latin
plural would not be Elvii but Elves. However, this might
necessitate a change of costume.

Jan Boyd Sylvania

Tags: cate, decades, ford, job, majors, nicole kidman, rumours, spira, zeal

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