| Fond memories of a loyal, jovial friend
PETALING JAYA: The country's past and present leaders turned up to pay their last respects to Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub, who died of prostate cancer yesterday. All expressed sadness at his demise and described him as a cheerful and jovial character who was always full of funny stories and anecdotes.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is in Davos for the World Economic Forum, extended his condolences to Megat Junid's family through his special officer, Datuk Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who visited the family with wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, described the former domestic trade and consumer affairs minister as a good friend and colleague.
"He contributed much to the government and to politics.
Stars shining on damp Oscars
HOLLYWOOD'S A-List wore red as they descended on a rainswept Hollywood for the 80th Academy Awards today.
See all the stars as they arrive for today's ceremony | Get the latest from our dedicated Oscars section | Angelina Jolie's Oscars baby bump | Updated Oscars blog | Blog the red carpet dresses yourself here. .
Forget the Meluas ... Adele's the real thing
Suspicions were raised when it slipped out that, like Katie Melua, Kate Nash and Amy Winehouse (all of whom she intermittently resembled), she is a former pupil of Croydon luvvy factory, The BRIT School For The Performing Arts And Technology. Those suspicions were partly dispersed when it transpired that she is not, by any yardstick, a stick-thin glamourpuss and she still lives with her masseuse mother. If her unashamedly estuary tones, her mangled introductions ("It hasn't got a chorus or nothing," she explained of First Love) and her decision to dress for an afternoon in front of the television suggested one of Catherine Tate's more lazily observed characters, only the flintiest of hearts could fail to respond to Adele's wideeyed, boundless enthusiasm as, to celebrate its release this week, she performed her debut album 19 from beginning to end.
'Free-spirited' Joss in Flake debut
Singer Joss Stone looks set to melt hearts with her new role as the latest Flake girl. Stone was announced as the first celebrity to take the role after a string of models starred in the commercials, including a former Miss World. The soul singer from Devon has developed a personal rendition of the jingle "Only the crumbliest flakiest chocolate, tastes like chocolate never tasted before". The 20-year-old stars in the new campaign which will air on ITV1 for the first time during the premiere of Rock Rivals on Wednesday evening. "She was chosen because she is very free-spirited," said a Cadbury spokesman. "Joss will bring something different to the previous adverts - the jingle has never been sung by one of the girls before." The Flake girls have developed notoriety for their highly sensual adverts which started in 1959.
Martin and St. Lucie counties public records: March 3
Chris Ross. • Seacoast National Bank v. Susan P. Caruana. • Commerce and Industry Ins Co v. LMC Holdings. • Palisades Collection v. Jerry Oliver. • Pacific Roofing v. Mark Poirier. • Professional Investment & Fin v. Florence Wismann. • Pacific Roofing v. Gregory Iacovone, Leanne Iacovone. Evictions • Jenilee Banning v. Juliette Harb. • Ronald Bryant v. Jane Fellman. • Vulture Fund I LLC v. Thomas Williams. • Villa Assumpta Inc v. Ann Carol. • Orjan Ahlstrom v. Charles Meriweather. • Fontaine M. Seaboyer v. George Maib. • Indianwood Development v. Michelle K. Whaley. • Orjan Ahlstrom v. Sharhanda Harris. • Karen Hogan v.
The 12th Word at A&M
While it is true that his father donated a large sum of money, George Bush never attended Texas A&M. (Even his daughter Jenna attended UT.) And sadly, you seemed to blame your soldiers just because of their association with TAMU. That to me, is ignorance. Before you accuse me of being another conservative Aggie, it's important to know that I've always been liberal in thought and lived in Austin for the majority of my life. But I respect and admire my fellow Aggies too much to allow someone to degrade or insult them. We will always have something that the University of Texas will never have, and that is a sense of pride and family that bonds us together. .
A Case of 'American' Excess
Last December, a collector's edition of his "Blade Runner" was released, delivering no fewer than four versions of the sci-fi classic. The director's most recent project, "American Gangster," follows a similar pattern, arriving today in a two-disc extended edition ($19.98) that includes the original theatrical release, already at a hefty running time of two hours and 38 minutes, and a longer version with 19 more minutes of movie added. (If that's not enough, another version with three discs worth of material also releases today.) Add in some sizeable extras, including a one-hour-and-18-minute documentary that covers the making of this story of drug mogul Frank Lucas's rise and fall, and one starts to wonder who has the appetite to digest so much Denzel Washington. Allow me to simplify.
Open Mike: Blame NFL rules, not Ricky
Nor am I taking anything back. He was a member of Team USA then, and as such had an obligation to his team and his country to behave and compete in a manner that brought pride to all. When you're a member of a team, you sacrifice something of your own ego for the good of all. You might even sacrifice a few beers to the common good. I always liked the way he went about his sport. He didn't follow anyone's rules, never played it safe, never backed out of an event to save wear and tear on his body and maybe increase his chances of winning the World Cup, which he did in 2005. He was and is the quintessential American individualist, raised in a cabin near Franconia, N.H. without indoor plumbing or electricity. Somehow, he grew to maturity without the benefit of television and the Internet.
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