Oscar on their minds
Winners might offer political commentary -- or even bark
By Todd Leopold CNN

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The Academy Awards strive to be the ultimate showbiz show of class and honor. So when politics rears its divisive head, the reaction is often anger -- or disdain.

During the waning days of the Vietnam War, Bob Hope was so angered by "Hearts and Minds" producer Bert Schneider's reading of a Viet Cong telegram -- "a cheap shot," Hope said -- that he requested a rebuttal to be read on the air. Vanessa Redgrave was booed in 1978 for criticizing "Zionist hoodlums," a reference to protesters sounding off against her pro-Palestinian activism. Michael Moore's speech against the war in Iraq and a "fictitious" President Bush earned catcalls along with applause.

And then there was Sacheen Littlefeather, the actress (real name: Maria Cruz) who declined Marlon Brando's best actor award for "The Godfather," citing Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans. She was greeted with stunned silence -- and the eternal appreciation of trivia-question writers everywhere.

more on this story at CNN

'Da Vinci' author 'stole plot'
LONDON, England (Reuters) --

Author Dan Brown appeared in court on Monday at the start of a trial in which two historians say he copied their work to write "The Da Vinci Code" best-seller and are suing his British publisher.Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent are suing their own publisher Random House for lifting "the whole architecture" of the research that went into their 1982 non-fiction book "The Holy Blood, and the Holy Grail," itself a bestseller.

Brown's religious thriller has more than 36 million copies in print worldwide and has upset Catholics for suggesting Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child by her. The same theory is put forward in "The Holy Blood, and the Holy Grail." Lawyers on both sides of the case have declined to comment on how the trial might affect sales of the hugely successful novel or the distribution of a major Hollywood adaptation which Sony Pictures plans to release in May.Jonathan James, representing Baigent and Leigh, told the High Court that "... Dan Brown copied from 'The Holy Blood, and the Holy Grail' and therefore the publication of the result by the defendant is in infringement of the copyright of my client in the United Kingdom."Random House, owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, have dismissed the claim as "without merit," and succeeded last October in having a "substantial" part of the case made by the historians dropped.

Commentators have pointed out that a major character in 41-year-old Brown's book, Sir Leigh Teabing, has a name that is an anagram of Leigh and Baigent. A third author of the 1982 book, Henry Lincoln, has decided to stay out of the action.Last August, Brown won a court ruling against another writer, Lewis Perdue, who claimed The Da Vinci Code copied elements of two of his novels, "Daughter of God" and "The Da Vinci Legacy."

Perdue had sought $150 million in damages and asked the court to block distribution of the book and the movie adaptation, which features Tom Hanks alongside French actress Audrey Tautou.

read more at CNN

Book Review of London Bridges by James Patterson
Review by Angeline Perkins

In “London Bridges,” author, James Patterson, proves that the evasive “Wolf” could actually be the most powerful person in the world. If you read Patterson’s last novel, “The Big, Bad Wolf,” you will know why it gained positive reviews. Likewise, readers of this book can brace themselves for a suspenseful, action-packed ride through London, New York, Paris, Germany, and Washington, D.C.

In this continuing saga, Alex Cross, an FBI agent residing in the nation’s capital, has been duped by the Wolf twice already. Just when he thinks this villain had finally been captured, he learns the world is still not safe from one of its most notorious terrorists. In “London Bridges,” the Wolf, a former KGB operative, teams up with well-trained munitions experts in a mission targeting Sunrise Valley, Nevada. This unsuspecting, tiny, town of trailer parks is quickly evacuated during a sunny afternoon and then completely destroyed by a bomb that explodes in mid air. All that is left of this town is a “scorch mark”. With expert footage taken of the blast by two hikers in the area, an immediate explanation is desired from FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security officials. However, they are left wondering who is responsible for such massive devastation. This eye-opening scene marks a chain of events that will culminate in a matter of days. Inevitably, the nation is put under yellow and orange alerts and security is heightened everywhere.
See the April 2005 issue of Transatlantic Times for full story

Soccer Survives and Flourishes in the USA
By Sharon J. Alfred

The sport of soccer is growing in popularity in the United States. Not a shocking statement. How about this? Professional soccer has been played in the U.S. since the 1920s. That’s right, the American Soccer League was founded in the year 1921. However, despite its longevity of presence in the U.S., soccer is not a big-time American sport like baseball, football, and basketball.

These three games are seen as thoroughly American sports, and thus they are major sports in the U.S. But, what about the game of soccer? How does the generic American sports fan perceive it? Why isn’t soccer yet a major sport in America? It has avid fans here too. Scholarly speculation indicates that early forms of football (soccer) were played by many ancient races in countries such as China, Japan, Greece and Rome. Later, the English took a liking to the football game, and came up with most of the official rules that modern soccer goes by today.
See the March 2005 issue of Transatlantic Times: American/European Edition for full story

Autumn/Winter Fashion 2004/2005
By Marina Salicath Laurance