30 November 2011

Marvel Entertainment News: Kenneth Branagh 'Wouldn't Rule Out' Another Marvel Film; 'The Avengers' Official Character Descriptions

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Kenneth Branagh was always a fantastic choice as the director for "Thor." Even when Marvel first announced his involvement, the industry got excited, more so that usual when a director gets named.

When the film hit in theaters, critics generally praised Branagh for adding Shakespeare flavour to Thor.

Thor was a much higher quality Marvel flick than what superhero movie fans are a custom.

Branagh spoke to Variety about 'Thor'.

"Of all the American comics, 'Thor' was the only one I was really familiar with from my childhood, and it intrigued me, maybe because it was a bit more European, with those Viking helmets and its basis in Norse myth," Branagh said. "The scale was exciting, and I did love the character and the story. It had depth and gravity in addition to being an entertaining ride."

According to the Variety story, Branagh considered the entire project "a joy," and that his decision to turn down the sequel was not out of any bad feelings, but because of timing. "Monster" director, Patty Jenkins, will take over for "Thor 2."

Branagh is open to working with Marvel again, going on record with "I certainly wouldn't rule out a return to Marvel; we had an excellent collaboration."

Marvel is planning more projects after "The Avengers" this May. We're mainly looking forward to Spider-Man, Hulk and Thor themes. How about you superheroes?


'The Avengers' Official Character Descriptions...

Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios have provided us with official character descriptions for their upcoming release, The Avengers, in theaters on May 4, 2012. In Marvel’s The Avengers, it’s the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (Steve Rogers)
After a top secret Super-Soldier program transformed frail Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) into the powerful and heroic Captain America, his amazing WWII exploits made him a living legend. Steve saved New York City and turned the tide of the war, but crashed into the Arctic during his final mission. Awakening in the modern day, Steve learned that he had spent decades frozen in the icy tundra. Now, Steve Rogers finds himself alone in a modern world that he hardly recognizes. When Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., calls on Rogers to help save the world again, he quickly suits up as Captain America, taking up his iconic shield and bringing his strength, leadership and no-nonsense attitude to The Avengers.

IRON MAN (Tony Stark)
On top of being an eccentric genius, a billionaire, a playboy and a philanthropist, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is also the armored super hero known as Iron Man. Fresh off of defeating enemies the world over, Stark reluctantly agreed to serve as a consultant to Nick Fury’s top-secret peacekeeping and intelligence agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Now, with a global crisis on the horizon and the fate of the world in the balance, Stark must again power up his Iron Man armor to save the world, and become a full-fledged member of The Avengers.

THOR (The God of Thunder)
An arrogant prince from the distant land of Asgard, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was banished to Earth after his irresponsible behavior threatened his homeland. While in exile on Earth, Thor learned humility and helped to save his new friends from a destructive threat sent by his brother Loki. In the process, Thor redeemed himself in the eyes of his father, Odin, the King of Asgard. After being welcomed back to Asgard as a hero, Thor must now return to Earth once again to prevent a cosmic-level catastrophe. With Mjolnir in his hand, a legendary hammer with immense power, the mighty warrior soon finds himself drawn into an unlikely alliance with Nick Fury’s secret initiative, The Avengers, lending his power to their cause against his wayward brother, Loki.

THE HULK (Bruce Banner)
After a gamma radiation experiment went awry, mild-mannered scientist Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) found himself with a peculiar condition. When angered or provoked, he would transform into the uncontrollable, green-skinned monster known as the Hulk. Now, fearful of the damage that the Hulk could inflict, Dr. Banner chooses to live a discreet life in remote parts of the world, working to cure the sick and help the poor while trying to elude those who would take advantage of his ability to change into the enormous, green menace. When a mounting threat calls for Banner’s specialized scientific expertise, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury recruits him, knowing full well that the incredible strength of Banner’s alter ego, the Hulk, would be an asset to The Avengers.

HAWKEYE (Clint Barton)
One of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most elite agents, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), code-named Hawkeye, is the greatest living marksman on Earth. Armed with his weapon of choice, the recurve bow, Hawkeye fires his arsenal of custom augmented arrows, specialized for any number of specific situations, with perfect precision. With the potential for global catastrophe on the horizon, he employs his amazing combat skills to fight along side The Avengers.

BLACK WIDOW (Natasha Romanoff)
S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), is one of the world’s greatest spies and quite possibly the world’s most skilled assassin. Armed with an extensive arsenal of specialized weapons like widow stings and cluster bombs, as well as a vast repertoire of martial arts skills, Romanoff’s unique talents make her one of director Fury’s top agents and an integral part in assembling The Avengers.

LOKI
After his bid to overthrow the throne of Asgard was thwarted by his brother Thor, the evil Loki (Tom Hiddleston) retreated to lands unknown to plot his revenge. Not just against his brother, but against Earth, whose inhabitants Thor now protects. Loki, now returns with a nefarious plot to conquer Earth and will stop at nothing to see his vision realized. When his misuse of power threatens the entire planet, it may take more than The Avengers to stop him.

NICK FURY (Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
As the legendary Director of the international peacekeeping organization, S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is humanity’s first line of defense against the world’s biggest threats. When S.H.I.E.L.D. becomes aware of an evil that threatens global safety, Fury assembles the planet’s most powerful beings and forms The Avengers.


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MARVEL, and all related characters and the distinctive likeness thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and are used with permission. Copyright © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All right reserved.

As Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say, Excelsior!

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Online casino and poker gamblers likely to take bigger risks in life, by Greg Tingle - 28th November 2011

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What's your favorite online slot game? If your answer is along the lines of Cleopatra, Sinatra, Wheel of Fortune, Rambo, Mission: Impossible, Call of Duty or Monopoly Slot, you are quite likely a passionate online casino player, or at least a punter who knows the difference between Min Bet or Max Bet on the "online pokies", as they call them in Australia as well as other parts of the Asia Pacific region - currently dominated by Crown Limited's James Packer in the land based casino world, with Echo Entertainment's The Star (ex Star City Casino) chipping away with their almost billion dollar investment.

It's little wonder traditional bricks and mortar gambling businesses such as Crown Limited and Echo Entertainment are keen to get in the thick of the action in the online gambling world, given that dozens of credible reports including the Australian Productivity Commission lists Australians as some of the most passionate and highest spending punters in the world - online and at venues such as casinos and pubs.

Website portals such as Media Man Games, IGN Games, Gambling911, Poker News Daily and a host of others have come from nothing to build online empires of sorts over the past years, offering a wide variety of games, reviews and information, to an online audience who just can't get enough.

A Man Man spokesperson said "The games which seem to be most popular with online gamers in the Asia Pacific region are what are known as branded slot games - games which ride off an established entertainment industry brand, be it Frank Sinatra, Marvel's Thor and Incredible Hulk, Call of Duty, Hasbro's Monopoly, and you get the idea.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Centrebet and PKR are some of the most popular online gaming brands at the moment, but it doesn't stop other operators from having a go. Bwin.Party, PKR and Centrebet are currently popular with Australian's as they are well known, trusted, offer many sought after games, and have won a number of gaming awards, which builds consumer confidence."

A university study of online gamblers suggests that people who bet on the internet are more likely to take bigger risks while betting than other gamblers.

The survey, conducted by Southern Cross University, found that 80% of people who gambled online were betting on racing and sports, with the remaining 20% using casino game sites, featuring slots, table games and the like.

Dr Sally Gainsbury headed up the study and says are increasing amount of people are betting on sports via mobile phone applications.

"Research shows people look at their mobile first thing in the morning and last thing at night, take it to the bathroom with you," she said.

"This is something that allows you to take a bet anytime the mood strikes."

More than half of the punters surveyed indicated they were spending more money due to the ease of making credit card payments over the internet.

Over the last month media agency Media Man conducted a survey to see if the Australian public thought that Sydney's The Star and Melbourne's Crown Casino were primarily gambling companies, entertainment companies or both. A sample of 100 people found that 87 people thought both companies were gambling and entertainment operations, 8 people thought they were entertainment companies, and just 5 people thought they were gambling - casino only businesses. The findings, reported on the Media Man blog network, demonstrate that Crown and Echo's desire to be known for more than gambling is working.

Delta Goodrem recently performed at Crown Casino, while Al Pacino did his 'One Night Only' career perspective performance at The Star's Lyric Theatre. Both shows got thumbs up and largely positive reviews from the public and news media.

Both casinos er... entertainment venues, do a lot of work for many worthy causes, much of which goes unreported in the press.

*the writer owns shares in Crown Limited.

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Take 40 Live Lounge with LMFAO At The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney - 30th November 2011

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Down under for for the Stereosonic, Foreshore, and Breakout festivals, LMFAO rocked the Live Lounge, Moore Park, in the backdrop of Fox Studios with a solo show tonight. The Take 40 Live Lounge went off, and was presented by cashed up Debit Mastercard.

LMFAO are an electric pop duo from the U.S consisting of DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu, and are one of the biggest party rocking acts in the world right now.

This year the band released their second studio album Sorry For Party Rocking which spawned such epic party hits as Sexy and I Know It, Champagne Showers and Party Rock Anthem.

LMFAO played hits from this album and the energy was fantastic.

The Take 40 Live Lounge had 150 guests, all up close with LMFAO!

The Take 40 Live Lounge has previously housed some other awesome artists including Kasabian, Maroon 5, Vanessa Amorosi and Jessie J.

Well done to all involved for putting this event together. Special thanks to Nicole Hart at Revolutions Per Minute PR, MCM Media, Entertainment Quarter staff and management, and a ton of others.

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LMFAO

The Entertainment Quarter

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Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment: Gioco Digitale Live With Evolution Casino - 30th November 2011

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One of the biggest gaming related firms in Italy's new remote gaming market, Gioco Digitale, has gone live with Evolution Gaming's live casino.

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The fully AAMS-approved Evolution live casino solution enables Gioco Digitale, part of bwin.party digital entertainment, to supply its customers a selection of live online roulette and blackjack tables at which to play. The tables include Venezia Roulette, which replicates online the experience of playing in Italy's land-based casinos with native speaking Italian dealers.

Paolo Di Feo, southern region director at Bwin.Party said: "Gioco Digitale is committed to delivering an exceptional localised gaming service in Italy. Key factors behind the delivery of original products for the Italian public are the strength, stability and security of our group's technology platform, our local focus, and our strategic partnerships with innovators such as Evolution Gaming. Evolution live casino is an excellent fit for us from a technology and customer service perspective - in Italy and across our other markets."

Gionata La Torre, Evolution's CEO in Italy, commented: "PartyGaming is a long-standing Evolution customer and since its merger with bwin, we have worked closely with a number of divisions within the group. Gioco Digitale recognised that, as the first live casino provider to be fully approved by AAMS in Italy, Evolution shared its vision for the newly revitalised Italian market."

La Torre said: "We expect Gioco Digitale to benefit from high levels of interest and incremental revenue opportunities."

Most of the world's igaming insiders and media are impressed with the development.

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IGT - WagerWorks Launches Grand Monarch Online Slot Game

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VirginCasino.com - No US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand players. £100 sign up bonus. Virgin Games is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.


Grand Monarch™ offers a pure, clean, easy-to-understand gaming experience – one of the major appeals of the game.

Each of the five reels has the Stacked Wild™ feature. In the base-game, this makes for a very rich and rewarding feature all on its own. When you trigger the Free Spins Bonus with three Bonus symbols on the middle three reels, you earn five free spins and the chance to trigger more. The Free Spins Reels are ridiculously rich, with greatly-amplified Stacked Wilds™ feature. The stacks of wild symbols are longer and more plentiful on every reel during the bonus.

The bountiful Stacked Wilds™ feature, plus a lush, well-polished play experience, easily allows for extended play sessions.

Grand Monarch™ lets you experience how enchanting huge wins from Stacked Wilds™ can be. 50 paylines means plenty of action in between massive pays and rich free spins.

WagerWorks is the online casino offshoot of the land casino slots manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT). They keep converting the best IGT land slots for the online medium. Grand Monarch is the regal king of butterflies. And Grand Monarch is also the smash hit slots game found in land casinos worldwide, which has been converted by WagerWorks and is available at online casinos such as Richard Branson's Virgin Casino.

Grand Monarch is one for high roller VIP's, or whales, if you will. The online slot game has 50 paylines. Players can choose from 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 paylines. The line bet can be varied from 1.00 credits to 50.00 credits. The total bet per spin can go up to 2,500.00 credits. Grand Monarch is a beautiful butterfly themed slot game. The reels are set in a garden. The Grand Monarch is the wild symbol and substitutes for all symbols except the scatter symbol. It offers a fixed jackpot payout of 1,000 coins when five Grand Monarch symbols appear in an active payline. There are four flower symbols and high value card symbols from Ace to Nine. All are done up in bright colors in keeping with the theme. The Caterpillar is the scatter symbol. When three of these symbols appear on the three central reels then a payout of two times the total bet is awarded to the player. The slot game has 50 paylines so there's plenty of ways to win.

Three Caterpillar symbols appearing on the three central reels also triggers the Free Spins Bonus. This awards players 5 free spins. The symbols used in the free spins are the same, except that the colors and orientations have been tweaked a bit. This practice is followed quite often by WagerWorks. The payouts are also the same. But the reels used in the Free Spins Bonus are much richer, having more of the Stacked Wilds feature than the base game reels. The free spins can be retriggered by getting three Caterpillar symbols anywhere on the central three reels during the free spins. The free spins can be retriggered multiple times, up to a maximum of 255 free spins per Bonus.

Grand Monarch is graphics rich game and the player can adjust the quality of the graphics to get the optimal performance based on their computer hardware capabilities. In the BEST mode the graphics look best, but performance may suffer if computer specifications are not the highest. In the LOW mode the graphics may appear degraded, but smooth performance is achieved even on slower computers. The intermediate options are HIGH and MEDIUM.

The game is available for players across most of Europe, the UK and such, but Virgin can't currently accept Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders or Australians, so if you're in one of those regions, check out another operator who carries IGT slot games.

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Take 40 Live Lounge with LMFAO At The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney

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Down under for for the Stereosonic, Foreshore, and Breakout festivals, and now we can reveal that LMFAO are playing at one solo show in Sydney on November 30th for the Take 40 Live Lounge presented by Debit Mastercard.

LMFAO are an electric pop duo from the States consisting of DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu, and are one of the biggest party rocking acts around.

This year the band released their second studio album Sorry For Party Rocking which spawned such epic party hits as Sexy and I Know It, Champagne Showers and Party Rock Anthem.

LMFAO will be playing hits from this album and more at this exclusive performance.

The Take 40 Live Lounge presented by Debit MasterCard will have just 150 guests within an intimate venue, and will get you up close and personal LMFAO!

The Take 40 Live Lounge presented by Debit Mastercard has housed some stellar artists in the past, with Kasabian, Maroon 5, Vanessa Amorosi and Jessie J just to name a few!

Well done to all involved for putting this event together. Special thanks to Nicole Hart at Revolutions Per Minute PR, and a ton of others.

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29 November 2011

PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award

PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month" award.

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The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".

The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.

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Stevie Nicks And Dave Stewart Perform At Sydney Entertainment Centre - 29th November 2011

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You wouldn't usually expect for Dave Stewart to be support for a Stevie Nicks tour, but that's exactly what's happening this Australian tour, and Sydney fans saw it happen at the iconic Sydney Entertainment Centre tonight.

Casual fans probably didn't know that Stewart produced Nicks' new album, In Your Dreams, and believe us - it's a real treat for both Stewart and Nicks' fans.

Brian McFadden acted as a bit of a third wheel, but there's no doubt McFadden still enjoys a strong fan base in Australia.

Nicks performed Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, the band's prized #1 from years gone by.

We also heard numbers from her new A Vampire's Dream, Soldier's Angel.

The new songs featured Stewart on guitar and resonated with the Sydney audience.

If you were a Nicks, Stewart or even a McFadden fan, this is the place you had to be at tonight.

Promotional information secured by the Australia promoter of the tour reads:

McManus Entertainment is thrilled to announce that Brian McFadden will be joining the legendary Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart as a special guest for the 2011 Australian tour. McFadden will join the bill for the entire tour.

Celebrated musician and songwriter Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics will also be touring Australia for this very special show.

Joining Stevie for these special shows will be celebrated musician and songwriter Dave Stewart from Eurythmics, who co-produced Stevie's new solo album, "In Your Dreams". Fans of both Fleetwood Mac and Eurythmics will be thrilled to know that Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart will be performing their greatest hits from their respective bands as well as highlights form their solo careers.

"I'm so excited to bring Stevie back to Australia and give her the opportunity to play to her many fans across the country," said promoter Andrew McManus. "Stevie has one of the most unique and recognisable voices in the history of popular music and is also one of the greatest songwriters of all time. And I think there will be a whole new generation of fans due to the recent episode of 'Glee' based on the legendary Fleetwood Mac album, "Rumours."

Apart from Stevie's incredible work with Fleetwood Mac, she has also had an extensive solo career, collectively having more than 40 top 50 hits and selling more than 140 million albums worldwide. Just a few of her many solo hits include Edge of Seventeen, Leather and Lace, Stand Back, Bella Donna, Rooms On Fire and Stop Draggin' My Heart Around. Stevie will also be playing songs from Fleetwood Mac's extensive back catalogue. Some of their most loved songs include Rhiannon, Gypsy, Sara, Landslide, Dreams and Seven Wonders.

Joining Stevie on her Australian tour is Grammy and BRIT Award winning musician, songwriter and producer, Dave Stewart. Dave is best known for his work with Eurythmics and recently co-produced and co-wrote many of the songs on Stevie's latest album, "In Your Dreams". The album closes with the Stevie and Dave duet Cheaper Than Free. And Stevie sang a track with Dave on his 2010 solo album, "The Blackbird Diaries". His music career spans three decades and more than 100 million album sales. Some of Dave's biggest hits include I Only Want To Be With You (The Tourists) and Eurythmics hits Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), Missionary Man, Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves, Would I Lie To You? and Thorn In My Side.


It's was a wonderful night for music fans in Sydney and a concert that anyone who attended will remember fondly for many years to come.

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Tobey Maguire Pays $80,000; Lawsuit Settled Over High-Stakes Hollywood Poker Games, by Greg Tingle - 28th November 2011

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Tobey Maguire Ben Affleck Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon

Tobey Maguire (aka Peter Parker from Spider-Man) has reached an $80,000 settlement with U.S prosecutors over his involvement (playing) in high stakes Hollywood Poker games.

Earlier this year, the popular actor was one of 22 punters sued for winning money in allegedly illegal poker games from a Beverly Hills hedge fund top brass who was convicted of running a Ponzi Scheme. This past Wednesday, the parties filed court papers in bankruptcy court revealing that Maguire has agreed to part with $80,000 to be released from ongoing litigation meant to recoup money for those who got duped by the fraud.

Maguire was one of many Hollywood insiders who participated in high-stakes poker games at lush Beverly Hills hotels with Brad Ruderman, the CEO of Ruderman Capital Partners.

His good mate and poker playing pal, Leonardo DiCaprio, is understood to be pleased that he wasn't fined, and is being discrete about his gambling (and women), as much as the press might try to juice things up.

Ruderman was later convicted of wire fraud and investment fraud and is now locked up in a Texas jail as the trustee of Ruderman Capital attempts to locate as much as possible of the $25 million allegedly lost in these Hollywood poker games. Among the other celeb identified in a lawsuit launched last June were The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes, Welcome Back Kotter star Gabe Kaplan, and record label owner Cody Leibel. Other stars including Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck were also reportedly involved in the poker games, with $50,000 buy-ins (but they were not sued).

Maguire allegedly pocketed more than $300,000 in poker, but in the lawsuit, the bankruptcy judge alleged the poker was unlicensed and that the winnings were ill-gotten gains from Ruderman's clients.

On Wednesday, in court filings, the trustee revealed a settlement with Maguire. Per the agreement, the star of Spider-Man paid $80,000 and represented to the best of his knowledge that he has not received any more monies than those poker winnings from Ruderman. Maguire also disavows any knowledge of the Ponzi scheme and agrees not to make any claim on the bankrupt estate.

The settlement will need to be approved by a judge. A hearing date of Dec. 21 has been put down to consider the motion for settlement.

According to the court paperwork, the parties entered into a settlement agreement to avoid the expense and risk of further litigation. In making the case that the settlement represents the best interests of the estate, Howard Ehrenberg, the Chapter 7 trustee for Ruderman Capital points out that the lawsuit raised "several complex issues of law and fact," including "whether Maguire provided value to the Debtor in relation to the poker games and whether certain of the transfers from Ruderman to Maguire constitute funds of the Debtor."

Maguire signed the settlement agreement himself on Nov. 18, and if approved by the judge, he will be released from ongoing case. Maguire was represented by Robert Barta at Rosoff Schiffres & Barta.

Hollywood poker players are understood to be laying low, until the case blows over, with some stars being advised to stay clear of poker for a while to help keep them away from potential problems.

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Leonardo DiCaprio official website

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Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire told to ease off high stakes poker, by Greg Tingle

Now we know another reason that movie stars Leo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have enjoyed quite a bit of their time in 'Sin City' Sydney, Australia - they like a punt, and are fans of Australian land based casinos, with The Star being at the top of their list for the meantime. It's not known for certain if the twosome have played poker or gambled on Australian soil, but take a wild guess.

Many Hollywood (and AussieWood) stars love to gamble, and high-stakes poker is one of their favourite games. Privacy is high on their priorities and it's known that some forms of gambling don't sit well with the law in some parts of the world, including in the United States.

It's understood that Tobey Maguire and mates Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck are long time high stakes poker fans and may have participated in quite a few private games played mainly in Los Angeles and New York.

The word is that the FBI is probing into alleged Russian mob connections to those big dollar games.

A few months ago there was a lawsuit filed against Maguire claiming a big Wall Street investment guy paid his gambling debts with funds inappropriately acquired from his firm’s investors.

A longtime associate of both DiCaprio and Maguire is understood to have said "As much as those boys love to gamble, they don’t need this kind of hassle...It seems clear that a number of very unsavory people have used their own huge wealth to weasel their way into those games.

"No one needs a Frank Sinatra problem these days," added the leak, referring to the Mafia connections that followed Ol’ Blue Eyes most of his life.

DiCaprio and Maguire are currently enjoying a working holiday of Australia and both gents have been spotted at The Star (entertainment complex and casino - ex Star City Casino) more than once.

'Our Leo' is staring in The Great Gatsby. Maguire is not working Spider-Man, but has a number of exciting projects in the works. May the best player, er, actor Win.

All of this while online gaming companies such as Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, which owns the World Poker Tour, attempts to get the green light from the US government to offer Americans totally legal online poker games.

Media Man is following up the story, and understands that McGuire is close to coming to terms with prosecutors on the Hollywood Poker investigation.

Websites

The Star

Spider-Man (Sony Pictures)

Spider-Man (Marvel Entertainment)

Frank Sinatra Enterprises

Leonardo DiCaprio official website

Media Man News

Casino News Media

PartyCasino.com Sinatra Slot game

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire told to ease off high stakes poker, by Greg Tingle

Profiles

Hollywood Poker Leonardo DiCaprio Tobey Maguire Hollywood Movies News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News


Tobey Maguire Ben Affleck Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon

Now we know another reason that movie stars Leo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have enjoyed quite a bit of their time in 'Sin City' Sydney, Australia - they like a punt, and are fans of Australian land based casinos, with The Star being at the top of their list for the meantime. It's not known for certain if the twosome have played poker or gambled on Australian soil, but take a wild guess.

Many Hollywood (and AussieWood) stars love to gamble, and high-stakes poker is one of their favourite games. Privacy is high on their priorities and it's known that some forms of gambling don't sit well with the law in some parts of the world, including in the United States.

It's understood that Tobey Maguire and mates Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck are long time high stakes poker fans and may have participated in quite a few private games played mainly in Los Angeles and New York.

The word is that the FBI is probing into alleged Russian mob connections to those big dollar games.

A few months ago there was a lawsuit filed against Maguire claiming a big Wall Street investment guy paid his gambling debts with funds inappropriately acquired from his firm’s investors.

A longtime associate of both DiCaprio and Maguire is understood to have said "As much as those boys love to gamble, they don’t need this kind of hassle...It seems clear that a number of very unsavory people have used their own huge wealth to weasel their way into those games.

"No one needs a Frank Sinatra problem these days," added the leak, referring to the Mafia connections that followed Ol’ Blue Eyes most of his life.

DiCaprio and Maguire are currently enjoying a working holiday of Australia and both gents have been spotted at The Star (entertainment complex and casino - ex Star City Casino) more than once.

'Our Leo' is staring in The Great Gatsby. Maguire is not working Spider-Man, but has a number of exciting projects in the works. May the best player, er, actor Win.

All of this while online gaming companies such as Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, which owns the World Poker Tour, attempts to get the green light from the US government to offer Americans totally legal online poker games.

Media Man is following up the story, and understands that McGuire is close to coming to terms with prosecutors on the Hollywood Poker investigation.

Websites

The Star

Spider-Man (Sony Pictures)

Spider-Man (Marvel Entertainment)

Frank Sinatra Enterprises

Leonardo DiCaprio official website

Media Man News

Casino News Media

PartyCasino.com Sinatra Slot game

PartyCasino.com Marvel Slots

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Crown Limited News; Crown Casino And Burswood Take Fight Back To Echo Entertainment's The Star, by Greg Tingle - 28th November 2011

Profiles

Kerry Packer James Packer Crown Casino Crown Limited Burswood Entertainment Complex The Star Echo Entertainment Australian Casinos Australia News Financial News Casino News Poker News Entertainment News


Australian land based casinos continue their entertainment push, with big name celebrities and more expensive casino re-vamps in the works. The massive casino image make-over may have started in 'Sin City' Sydney and spread to Melbourne, but now Perth is centre stage, but not without the usual hassles that are known to hit casinos. As they say, high risk, high rewards, and sometimes even the house doesn't win, which is good news for punters.

Crown Casino Chip Thief - 27th November 2011...

A large amount of casino chips have been pinched from Melbourne's Crown Casino in an early-Sunday morning heist.

The robber, believed to be aged about 20, executed his daring deed in the gaming area near the Clarendon St exit about 1.40am on Friday, November 4.

Murdoch owned Herald Sun was notified that opportunistic chip thefts are on the rise as pit bosses struggle to cope with increasing workloads. Word has got around to Australia's underground, as well as to news media who report on these matters.

A Crown leak advised since Crown's opening in 1994 the number of dealers a supervisor had to monitor had climbed from 4 to 24.

"One pit boss looks after 48 tables. It's absolutely bananas," he said.

The leak claimed a lack of supervision was helping lead to less than honest behaviour among some dealers, chip thefts and a massive increase in threats directed at dealers.

"Crown is running amok and the Government is allowing them to do it," he said.

But Crown spokesman Gary O'Neill denied chip thefts were increasing and said staff were fully supported by a world class security system.

"Chip thefts unfortunately occur from time to time. However, there is no evidence whatsoever to support the suggestion that there has recently been an increase in the number of these incidents," he said.

"Staff on the Crown gaming floor are fully supported by the most comprehensive security and surveillance systems and standards of any casino in Australia."

O'Neill said staffing arrangements were fully approved by the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation.

Police have described this month's thief as being of African appearance with short hair and a thin build.

He was wearing a jumper and baggy pants.

It is understood a second man, also described as African in appearance, fled the scene of the crime with the offender.

Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik enjoyed Crown...

Princess Mary and her husband Crown Prince Frederik were the big-name guests at last Saturday night's Starry Starry Night charity ball at Crown Casino in Melbourne.

The well liked and fashionable Danish princess was at the event in her role as international patron for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, which has made the Starry Starry Night one of the must attend functions for Melbourne's social set.

The royal couple was joined by local figures including Delta Goodrem, Garry Lyon, Molly Meldrum, Lisa Wilkinson, Jesinta Campbell and Gary Ablett and his partner Lauren Phillips.

One of the things that makes Starry Starry Night quite different from the norm is that they get celebs to sing. This year some of the entertainment included celebrity chef Manu Feildel singing a French song La Vie en Rose, Cadel Evans' wife Chiara Passerini singing When Love Takes Over, Julia Morris singing Born This Way and MasterChef Australia judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston singing It's Not Unusual.

All funds raised at the gig went to the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.


Burswood Casino To Become Crown Perth?...

You and love (maybe) Burswood Entertainment Complex, but soon it will be no longer - the name that is, and is tipped to become Crown Perth?

The chit chat in the business community is that the Western Australian land based casino - hotel will be getting the new name, sooner rather than later, while it also enjoys a physical revamp.

James Packer may reveal its new name as Crown Perth come December, and expect one or two parties to celebrate the second coming of Packer's Perth casino complex.

The Consolidated Press Holdings executive chairman, who is also chairman of the Crown Investment Committee and a director of Crown Melbourne, is tipped to visit Perth for a business breakfast on December 14, in Burswood's Grand Ballroom.

Burswood officials are not confirming the casino's name change, however at least one member of senior management conceded a name change is on cards.

"I can't really speak about it, to be quite honest," said the leak. "But we're looking at it. "Hospitality providers involved with the casino and hotels advised Crown will be in the new name of the famous Perth casino.

Even residents in nearby apartments have been made aware of the imminent name change.

Most insiders, punters and news media think the new name is a vast improvement, and well overdue.

"Listen, I think with the kind of structure they have, that it (rebranding) may well be the kind of thing they are looking at," an unnamed industry leader said.

Creative agency Gatecrasher, which handles the lucrative Burswood account valued at more than $4 million, would not comment.

A Media Man spokesperson said "The name change for the Burswood Casino is thought to be well overdue. Crown is known for quality and stability in the gaming industry, so why not promote that. Packer's Crown Limited is fighting back against competitor of sorts, Echo Entertainment and their Sydney based The Star, and the focus from both gaming giants is well known to be entertainment with a capital E, so it makes sense to change the name soon, and pre Christmas seems like excellent timing. Crown and Echo Entertainment both enjoy healthy gaming revenues, but for business reasons, including public perception and attracting the right Australian and international visitors, re brands and million dollar plus revamps are clearly seen as the way forward."

This news comes as rumours that at least one Northern Queensland based hotel chain may soon apply for a gaming licence, and aims to be able to call itself a hotel - casino within the next 12 to 24 months. That chit chat adds yet further fuel to the fire in the Echo Entertainment - Crown Limited "friendly casino war", as its been come to be known as by industry commentators.

Wrap Up...

The late, great, Kerry Packer would be proud, and supporters of James Packer think he's doing a magnificent job, giving the testing economy, not to mention too many favours from the Gillard - Labor Government.

Stay tuned for more in the epic friendly war between Packer's Crown Entertainment and Echo Entertainment. Who are you tipping, and are you buying shares to prove your loyalty?

*the writer owns shares in Crown Limited

Websites

Crown Casino

Burswood Entertainment Complex

Echo Entertainment

Media Man News

Casino News Media

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Stevie Nicks And Dave Stewart To Play Sydney Entertainment Centre - 28th November 2011

Profiles

Music Events Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Australia News Entertainment News

You wouldn't usually expect for Dave Stewart to be support for a Stevie Nicks tour, but that's exactly what's happening this Australian tour, and Sydney fans will see it happen live at the Sydney Entertainment Centre tomorrow night.

Casual fans probably didn't know that Stewart produced Nicks' new album, In Your Dreams, and believe us - it's a real treat for both Stewart and Nicks' fans.

Brian McFadden acts as a bit of a third wheel on the tour, but there's no doubt McFadden still enjoys a strong fan base in Australia.

Nicks is tipped to perform Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, the band's prized #1 from years gone by.

Also expect numbers from her new A Vampire's Dream, Soldier's Angel.

The new songs feature Stewart on guitar and we hear the work will resonate with the Sydney audience.

Needless to say, if your a Nicks, Stewart or even a McFadden fan, you don't want to miss this concert.

Promotional information secured by the Australia promoter of the tour reads:

McManus Entertainment is thrilled to announce that Brian McFadden will be joining the legendary Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart as a special guest for the 2011 Australian tour. McFadden will join the bill for the entire tour.

Celebrated musician and songwriter Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics will also be touring Australia for this very special show.

Joining Stevie for these special shows will be celebrated musician and songwriter Dave Stewart from Eurythmics, who co-produced Stevie's new solo album, "In Your Dreams". Fans of both Fleetwood Mac and Eurythmics will be thrilled to know that Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart will be performing their greatest hits from their respective bands as well as highlights form their solo careers.

"I'm so excited to bring Stevie back to Australia and give her the opportunity to play to her many fans across the country," said promoter Andrew McManus. "Stevie has one of the most unique and recognisable voices in the history of popular music and is also one of the greatest songwriters of all time. And I think there will be a whole new generation of fans due to the recent episode of 'Glee' based on the legendary Fleetwood Mac album, "Rumours."

Apart from Stevie's incredible work with Fleetwood Mac, she has also had an extensive solo career, collectively having more than 40 top 50 hits and selling more than 140 million albums worldwide. Just a few of her many solo hits include Edge of Seventeen, Leather and Lace, Stand Back, Bella Donna, Rooms On Fire and Stop Draggin' My Heart Around. Stevie will also be playing songs from Fleetwood Mac's extensive back catalogue. Some of their most loved songs include Rhiannon, Gypsy, Sara, Landslide, Dreams and Seven Wonders.

Joining Stevie on her Australian tour is Grammy and BRIT Award winning musician, songwriter and producer, Dave Stewart. Dave is best known for his work with Eurythmics and recently co-produced and co-wrote many of the songs on Stevie's latest album, "In Your Dreams". The album closes with the Stevie and Dave duet Cheaper Than Free. And Stevie sang a track with Dave on his 2010 solo album, "The Blackbird Diaries". His music career spans three decades and more than 100 million album sales. Some of Dave's biggest hits include I Only Want To Be With You (The Tourists) and Eurythmics hits Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), Missionary Man, Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves, Would I Lie To You? and Thorn In My Side.


So, there you go fans. It's set to be a great night for music fans in Sydney so be quick to get your tickets if you haven't already.

Websites

Stevie Nicks official website - The Nicks Fix

Dave Stewart official website

Brian McFadden

Sydney Entertainment Centre

McManus Entertainment

Flourish PR

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Splash News

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys Bring Their NKOTBSB Tour To Australia

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Music Events Sydney Australia News Entertainment News

Thought boy bands of the 80s and 90's were dead and well past their used by date? It may be time to think again as New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys prepare for a full scale, more adult assault on Australian soil.

Here at the Music News Australia network we got our hands on some media material from both bands, so get ready for it Australia...

With the continued and insatiable fan demand, the unstoppable phenomenon that is NKOTBSB will officially bring their show down under! In May, New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys will come to Australia for four shows only, stopping in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney. Tickets for the Australian tour dates go on sale to the public on Thursday, December 8th at 2pm through Ticketek.

“If our fans want us down under, we'll go down under,” said New Kids’ Donnie Wahlberg. “Our international fans have been flying to see us stateside for years, so now we are bringing the show to them. Get ready Australia, we are coming to you!”

The Australian leg will bring the historic NKOTBSB tour for a limited four-show run, giving fans across the globe chances to catch their favorite groups on one stage. Fans in Australia can finally see what North American Press hailed as “One of the hottest tickets of the summer,” as described by OK! Magazine. Entertainment Weekly raved, “Each tune was performed with the same energy, crotch-grabbing, and hip-thrusting that turned these groups into teens sensations years ago. NKOTBSB may well be the tastiest musical mouthful of the summer.”

NKOTBSB first shocked and delighted fans when they took to the stage together for a medley at the sold out NKOTB Radio City Music Hall show. The two groups wowed audiences again in their first joint televised performance at the American Music Awards a year ago in November 2010 and have toured consistently through 2011 since coming together.

With over 200 million albums sold between both bands, and smash hit after smash hit, these two pop sensations have dominated the music scene for more than three decades. Aiming to please, these guys are giving concert goers and diehard fans everywhere the ultimate “night out” experience.

NKOTB BACKGROUND

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK sold more than 80 million albums worldwide – including back-to-back international #1 songs, 1988’s Hangin’ Tough and 1990’s Step By Step – and a series of crossover smash R&B, pop hits like You Got It (The Right Stuff), Cover Girl, Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time), Hangin’ Tough, I’ll Be Loving You, Step By Step and Tonight. The group shattered concert box office records playing an estimated 200 concerts a year in sold out stadiums throughout the world. They still hold many of these records to date. They were Forbes highest paid entertainers of 1990, beating out Michael Jackson and Madonna. The band boasted an extensive and highly profitable merchandise line which included everything from lunch boxes and sleeping bags to comic books, marbles and dolls. More Information is available at www.nkotb.com, facebook.com/pages/New-Kids-On-The-Block and twitter.com/NKOTB.

BSB BACKGROUND

For more than 18 years, Backstreet Boys have delivered the very finest pop music has to offer – tightly crafted songs, floor-shaking rhythms, and unmistakable harmonies. One of the most successful groups in music history, with countless #1s, record-setting tours and worldwide sales in excess of 100 million, Backstreet Boys are also among pops most influential. The band made history when all tickets for their greatly anticipated 11-week, 39-city Millennium North American Arena Tour sold out as soon as they went on sale- the vast majority within an hour. At the time the Millennium Tour set a Ticketmaster­ record by selling 735,000 tickets in two hours. They are also among the few bands to have received the Diamond Award from the R.I.A.A. for sales of more than 10 million on both the Backstreet Boys and Millennium albums. The band is currently wrapping up a worldwide tour in support of their recent album, This Is Us. More information is available at www.backstreetboys.com, facebook.com/backstreetboys and twitter.com/backstreetboys.

Websites

New Kids On The Block

Backstreet Boys

Live Nation

Flourish PR

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Splash News

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

28 November 2011

Online casino and poker gamblers likely to take bigger risks in life, by Greg Tingle - 28th November 2011

Profiles

Online Casino Gambling Casinos Slots Poker Crown Casino The Star Australian Casinos Games News Financial News Sports News Entertainment News News

What's your favorite online slot game? If your answer is along the lines of Cleopatra, Sinatra, Wheel of Fortune, Rambo, Mission: Impossible, Call of Duty or Monopoly Slot, you are quite likely a passionate online casino player, or at least a punter who knows the difference between Min Bet or Max Bet on the "online pokies", as they call them in Australia as well as other parts of the Asia Pacific region - currently dominated by Crown Limited's James Packer in the land based casino world, with Echo Entertainment's The Star (ex Star City Casino) chipping away with their almost billion dollar investment.

It's little wonder traditional bricks and mortar gambling businesses such as Crown Limited and Echo Entertainment are keen to get in the thick of the action in the online gambling world, given that dozens of credible reports including the Australian Productivity Commission lists Australians as some of the most passionate and highest spending punters in the world - online and at venues such as casinos and pubs.

Website portals such as Media Man Games, IGN Games, Gambling911, Poker News Daily and a host of others have come from nothing to build online empires of sorts over the past years, offering a wide variety of games, reviews and information, to an online audience who just can't get enough.

A Man Man spokesperson said "The games which seem to be most popular with online gamers in the Asia Pacific region are what are known as branded slot games - games which ride off an established entertainment industry brand, be it Frank Sinatra, Marvel's Thor and Incredible Hulk, Call of Duty, Hasbro's Monopoly, and you get the idea.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Centrebet and PKR are some of the most popular online gaming brands at the moment, but it doesn't stop other operators from having a go. Bwin.Party, PKR and Centrebet are currently popular with Australian's as they are well known, trusted, offer many sought after games, and have won a number of gaming awards, which builds consumer confidence."

A university study of online gamblers suggests that people who bet on the internet are more likely to take bigger risks while betting than other gamblers.

The survey, conducted by Southern Cross University, found that 80% of people who gambled online were betting on racing and sports, with the remaining 20% using casino game sites, featuring slots, table games and the like.

Dr Sally Gainsbury headed up the study and says are increasing amount of people are betting on sports via mobile phone applications.

"Research shows people look at their mobile first thing in the morning and last thing at night, take it to the bathroom with you," she said.

"This is something that allows you to take a bet anytime the mood strikes."

More than half of the punters surveyed indicated they were spending more money due to the ease of making credit card payments over the internet.

Over the last month media agency Media Man conducted a survey to see if the Australian public thought that Sydney's The Star and Melbourne's Crown Casino were primarily gambling companies, entertainment companies or both. A sample of 100 people found that 87 people thought both companies were gambling and entertainment operations, 8 people thought they were entertainment companies, and just 5 people thought they were gambling - casino only businesses. The findings, reported on the Media Man blog network, demonstrate that Crown and Echo's desire to be known for more than gambling is working.

Delta Goodrem recently performed at Crown Casino, while Al Pacino did his 'One Night Only' career perspective performance at The Star's Lyric Theatre. Both shows got thumbs up and largely positive reviews from the public and news media.

Both casinos er... entertainment venues, do a lot of work for many worthy causes, much of which goes unreported in the press.

*the writer owns shares in Crown Limited.

Websites

Media Man News

Crown Casino

The Star

Echo Entertainment

Casino News Media

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

ARIA Awards In Sydney's Olympic Park: Gotye, Kimbra, Boy & Bear roaring Success - 28th November 2011

Profiles

Music Events Sydney Australia News Entertainment News


It was that time of the year again - the night of night's for Australia's music industry.

What a night it was for the the 25th anniversary ARIA awards at Sydney's Olympic Park last night.

There were so many highlights.

How about Gotye (one of my favorites) winning three gongs, and then of course Prime Minister Julia Gillard (always looking for a bit of good PR) inducted Kylie Minogue into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Minogue was sincere in her thanks to the he ARIA board for "an incredible honour", saying "I'm a very proud Australian and tonight's award means so much to me". No, Dannii didn't win anything, before you ask.

PM Gillard met Minogue for the virgin time earlier this year while over in Japan while they were special guests at the Australian embassy fund-raising dinner for the tsunami disaster, advised Minogue was "a special Australian" who would take her "rightful place alongside music legends like Joan Sutherland and John Farnham and Paul Kelly" in the Hall of Fame. Nice words of support from PM Gillard, but how much of a music history expert is she? Maybe more than most people know...brave of her to wear the music expert hat.

It was quite a stand out year for Australian music.

Perhaps the biggest success story of the year, at least in the eyes of mass media was, Bruges-born Melbourne artist Gotye (Wally De Backer). They snatched ARIAs for best male artist, best pop release and best single of the year for the massively popular Somebody that I Used to Know, featuring New Zealand-born Kimbra. Kimbra, not to be outdone, snatched her first ARIA for best female artist for her debut album, Cameo Lover.

Featured performances were by Gotye, Kimbra and Boy & Bear, winning an impressive five ARIA awards for self-produced debut album Moonfire, including album of the year.

Guy Sebastian got the ARIA award for highest-selling single for his number one song Who's That Girl.

Sebastian thanked his pregnant wife Jules after picking up his award.

"I couldn't do what I'm doing without her, she's a great chick," he told the press.

Three-time ARIA-award winners the Living End performed brilliantly and won best rock album (The End is Just the Begin-ning Repeating) and most popular Australian live artist, as voted by the public).

The Wiggles got top honours for Children's Favourite, and also skipped into the Hall of Fame and collected the best children's album award for popular Ukulele Baby!

Legendary Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Billy Thorpe was posthumously recognised for his final piece of work, Tangier. We wonder who will get the award next year, but it's quite likely too early to tell. Thorpe's wife, Lynn, and daughters Lauren and Dusty, collected the award, and fans and media lapped it up.

A bush tucker bag of celebs, including Delta Goodrem, Stevie Nicks, Missy Higgins, Iva Davies, former ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Chrissy Amphlett, actor Noah Taylor and Joel and Benji Madden presented awards.

Goodrem, who won seven ARIAs way back in 2003, put on a star performance and touching tribute to performing artists who we lost over the awards' rich 25-year history.

Western Australia's Drapht, opened the night, snatching best urban album for The Life of Riley.

Drapht thanked Gotye, who also snatched awards for producer of the year, best video and engineer of the year when nominations were announced earlier this month, for "not making a hip-hop album this year" - an insider award type of scenario.

Past ARIA winner Kasey Chambers added to her list of ARIA awards, winning her ninth best country album award for Little Bird.

"We said that if I get this one he'll have to get the one in Tamworth (Golden Guitar award) so we've made that stick," Chambers told journalists following her win.

Last year's winner of best rock album, Birds of Tokyo, won this year's publicly voted most popular Australian artist award, which holds a lot of street cred.

Art vs Science won best independent release for The Experi-ment and Front End Loader won its first ARIA award for best hard rock/heavy metal album, Ritardando.

Highest-selling album went to X-Factor winner Altiyan Childs for his self-titled debut and Guy Sebastian took out the highest-selling single for Who's That Girl.

2011 ARIA Award Winners...

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Boy & Bear, Moonfire
SINGLE OF THE YEAR - Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)
BEST MALE ARTIST - Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)
BEST FEMALE ARTIST - Kimbra, Cameo Lover
BEST GROUP - Boy & Bear, Moonfire
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST (ALBUM) - Boy & Bear, Moonfire
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST (SINGLE) - Boy & Bear, Feeding Line
BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE - Art vs Science, The Experiment
BEST ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM - Boy & Bear, Moonfire
BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM - Billy Thorpe, Billy Thorpe's Tangier
BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM - The Audreys, Sometimes the Stars
BEST CHILDREN'S ALBUM - The Wiggles, Ukulele Baby!
BEST COMEDY RELEASE - Hamish & Andy, Celebrating 50 Glorious Years
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM - Kasey Chambers, Little Bird
BEST DANCE RELEASE - Cut Copy, Zonoscope
BEST HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL ALBUM - Front End Loader, Ritardando
BEST POP RELEASE - Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)
BEST ROCK ALBUM - The Living End, The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating
BEST URBAN ALBUM - Drapht, The Life of Riley
HIGHEST SELLING ALBUM - Altiyan Childs, Altiyan Childs
HIGHEST SELLING SINGLE - Guy Sebastian, Who's that Girl (featuring Eve)
BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM - Sally Whitwell, Mad Rush: Piano Music of Philip Glass
BEST JAZZ ALBUM - Elixir featuring Katie Noonan, First Seed Ripening
BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK/CAST/SHOW ALBUM - Chris Lilley, Angry Boys - Official Soundtrack Album
BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM - Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Rrakala
BEST MUSIC DVD - AC/DC, AC/DC - Live at River Plate
BEST COVER ART - Alter, for Cut Copy, Zonoscope
BEST VIDEO - Natasha Pincus for Starkraving Productions, for Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)
ENGINEER OF THE YEAR - Francois Tetaz, for Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR - Wally De Backer, for Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)
2011 PUBLIC VOTED ARIA AWARD WINNERS
MOST POPULAR AUSTRALIAN ARTIST - Birds of Tokyo
MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL ARTIST - P!nk
MOST POPULAR AUSTRALIAN LIVE ARTIST - The Living End

Websites

ARIA Awards

Australian Recording Industry Association

Sydney Olympic Park

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Splash News

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Analyst: Hilton's new name just a 'placeholder' - 24th November 2011

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Las Vegas Hilton Hotels Casinos Hotels Resorts Accommodation Property United States World Directory News Financial News Casino News Entertainment News News


The Las Vegas Hilton will have a new name next year.

Known as the International Hotel when it first opened in 1969, the historic hotel changed its name to the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971. On Jan. 3, the hotel will be known as the LVH-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, according to its owner Colony Resorts LVH Acquisitions LLC.

In September, Colony Resorts LVH filed federal trademark applications to exclusively use the name LVH-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. The property's new name was first made public in a special Las Vegas advertising section published by the Las Angeles Times.

"If LVH-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino is the new name, it can't be anything but a placeholder," said David G. Schwartz, director of the center for gaming research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "It's not a viable name for a property."

Schwartz said the name chosen by Colony Resorts "shows they don't have a lot of options."

The application said the mark would cover hotel, restaurant, lounge and bar services; arena services, including providing facilities for sports, concerts and exhibitions; casinos and casino gaming; wagering services and entertainment in the form of live performances by bands.

The property on Jan. 1 was set to lose its franchise rights to use the Hilton name unless a deal could be worked out with Hilton Worldwide, which owns and licenses the name.

"The only options are to revert back to the Hilton name or you sell it to somebody that can invest in a real name change," Schwartz said.

Neither Hilton Worldwide nor Colony Resorts would comment Wednesday on the specific reasons for terminating what will have been an eight-year business relationship at the end of the current contract.

"Hilton Worldwide has 17 hotels, representing six of its brands, in the Las Vegas area," the company said in a statement Wednesday. "We continue to explore a number of projects in strategic markets and currently have the greatest development pipeline in our history."

Hilton Worldwide, based in McLean, Va., operates its Hilton Grand Vacations, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden brands in Las Vegas.

The name change is just one of the challenges facing the property.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Colony Resorts sought and received permission to delay the filing of its third-quarter financial report.

"Colony Resorts LVH Acquisitions LLC is not able to file its quarterly report ... for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2011 on or prior to Nov. 15, 2011, without unreasonable effort or expense due to the company's inability to determine the fair value of the company's assets," the company said.

The filing delay was attributed to Goldman Sachs Mortgage Co.'s decision to foreclose on the Hilton. Both Goldman Sachs and Colony Resorts are due back in court Dec. 13 for another hearing in a lawsuit in which Colony Resorts is contesting the foreclosure.

On Oct. 20, Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez gave the casino more time to defend itself against Goldman Sachs' effort to foreclose on the 64-acre property and install a receiver to displace the current management.

Colony Resorts disclosed Aug. 10 that it had defaulted on its $252 million term loan after skipping three payments totaling $3.5 million to conserve cash for operations. Goldman Sachs, which holds a 40 percent equity stake in the 2,950-room hotel, initiated foreclosure proceedings on Sept. 2 and sued the Hilton on Sept. 13 in a bid to have Ronald Paul Johnson appointed receiver.

"Once the ... uncertainty has been resolved, the company will file the form 10-QA for the quarterly period ended Sept. 30, 2011, as expeditiously thereafter as possible," Colony Resorts said in its regulatory filing. (Credit: Las Vegas Review Journal)


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