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Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa has been at the center of politics for decades and earned a not-so-pleasant reputation as a ''backroom fixer'' who skillfully maneuvers politics in turbulent times.
Ozawa has served as DPJ president in the past and just stepped down as the powerful party secretary general in early June, along with then party President and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, over a funding scandal in which his former secretaries were arrested and indicted.
Ozawa, 68, who served as Liberal Democratic Party secretary general from 1989 to 1991 and left the party in 1993, has often been viewed as a ''crasher'' because he has a history of breaking up and forming various political groups.
He played a major role in establishing a short-lived non-LDP coalition government in August 1993, and forming the now-defunct New Frontier Party in 1994 with the aim to capture power.
In September 2003, Ozawa had his Liberal Party merge with and be absorbed into the DPJ, then both in the opposition, and was elected DPJ president in 2006.
After opposition parties collectively gained a majority in the House of Councillors in 2007, he sought to form a grand coalition with the then ruling LDP but failed due to opposition within his own party.
Ozawa stepped down from the top party post in May 2009 after his state-paid secretary was arrested and indicted over dubious political contributions from a general contractor.
But as acting DPJ leader in charge of elections, he helped engineer the party's victory in the August 2009 House of Representatives election and brought about a change of government.
Ozawa's decision to challenge Prime Minister Naoto Kan in the party leadership race comes at a time when an independent judicial panel is reviewing prosecutors' decisions not to indict him over the funding scandal involving his former aides.
Ozawa has often made controversial remarks. He caused a stir early last year when he said the U.S. 7th Fleet, based outside Tokyo, would suffice as the U.S. military presence in the ''Far East.'' He also called Americans simple-minded in a speech late last month.
A native of Iwate Prefecture and son of a former construction minister, he was first elected to the lower house in 1969 and is currently serving his 14th term as a lower house member representing the Iwate No. 4 constituency.
Ozawa's love of fishing is widely known. He also shares with his rival Kan an interest in the Japanese ''go'' board game. Ozawa is apparently a little bit stronger than Kan given that when they have a match, Kan is given a handicap.
Today a book by Meghan McCain got released. She is the daughter of 2008 presidential candidate and Arizona Senator John McCain. This book is actually her memoir named “Dirty Sexy Politics”. This 194-page memoir is all about U.S politics through the eyes of a moderate, young Republican. Here she says, the day when her father became successful to win the New Hampshire primary in 2008, daughter she became afraid that she would be under arrest as she removed the Mitt Romney campaign signs from a Nashua street corner. McCain in her memoir confesses, since stealing a campaign sign is precisely illegal, but she ignored it thinking nobody will implement this act. McCain also wrote that she “had gotten pretty sick” seeing Romney’s campaign signs, since she suspected they had been placed strategically outside the McCain campaign’s hotel. After hiding a number of of them in a car trunk a passer-by saw her and had some confrontation on this issue.
J. R. Ackerley, voiced by Christopher Plummer, and Tulip in the animated film “My Dog Tulip.”
Animated dog movie: Those three little words are enough to make many parents shudder in expectation of having to accompany their kindergarten-age children to a sentimental, anthropomorphic contrivance. Now read the following quotation from “My Dog Tulip,” an animated dog movie like no other, and reconsider your qualms.
“She offered me what I had never found in my life with humans: constant, single-hearted, incorruptible, uncritical devotion, which it is in the nature of dogs to offer.”
Those words, spoken in devotional tones by the film’s British narrator, distill with an elegant succinctness the bond between human and pet when the human is a lonely gay man who has all but given up on finding the longtime companion that the narrator calls his “ideal friend.”
That narrator, voiced by Christopher Plummer, is J. R. Ackerley (1896-1967), the British man of letters whose 1956 memoir, “My Dog Tulip,” chronicles his 15-year-relationship with Queenie, a German shepherd renamed Tulip for the book.
When Ackerley was “quite over 50,” and Tulip was 18 months old, he acquired her from a family that had kept her imprisoned indoors. The slender volume is a classic of animal literature for the refinement of its prose, its dry wit, and its close, unblinking attention to the subtleties of human-animal interaction.
Consider this observation, by the discreetly misanthropic Ackerley as he marvels at his new pet’s exuberance: “It seemed to me both touching and strange that she should find the world so wonderful.”
The film’s hand-drawn animation by the directors Paul and Sandra Fierlinger (they are married) and Mr. Plummer’s understated conversational voice combine to make “My Dog Tulip,” which opens on Wednesday at Film Forum in the South Village, one of the most sophisticated dog movies ever created.
The animation, consisting of 58,320 drawings, involves four graphic concepts: finished-looking color drawings that portray Mr. Ackerley’s day-to-day life; simpler drawings in the elongated style of a New Yorker cartoon that evoke Mr. Ackerley’s fantasies; black-and-white line illustrations of his distant memories; and fanciful yellow-pad scribblings.
The movie only fleetingly succumbs to anthropomorphism in line drawings that show a half-human Tulip in a dress, holding court. John Avarese’s agreeable light-jazz score, which occasionally dips into a classical mode, lends the film a jaunty buoyancy.
Besides Ackerley, “My Dog Tulip” (whose title character is mercifully never given a human voice) is peopled with eccentrics, each given an astutely chosen actor and a sharply drawn personality by the animators. Lynn Redgrave, who died in May and to whom the movie is dedicated, plays Ackerley’s sister Nancy, who moves in to be Tulip’s daytime caretaker while Ackerley is working and competes with her brother for Tulip’s affection.
A veterinarian of astonishing empathy with animals is voiced by Isabella Rossellini. Examining Tulip for worms, she gently explains to Ackerley: “Tulip is a good girl. You are the trouble. She is in love with you.”
Brian Murray plays the dual roles of Ackerley’s indolent World War I army buddy, Captain Pugh, whom he visits at his country farm with an unruly Tulip in hand, and Mr. Blandish, a dog owner whose proud German shepherd, Max, is rebuffed by Tulip.
With its meticulously detailed observations of Tulip’s excretory rituals and anatomical changes when in heat, “My Dog Tulip” might almost be called a dirty movie. It unblinkingly observes the messes Tulip makes and shows her being mounted while in heat.
One of the most embarrassing messes takes place in front of the store of a green grocer whose wife (Redgrave) is so irate that she refuses to thank Ackerley even after he cleans it up. Another is made in an off-limits area of Ackerley’s home after Tulip finally produces a litter and senses that Ackerley intends to kill the pups. Their father ends up not being a male with a pedigree but Dusty, the “disreputable dirty ragamuffin” from next door.
In a final printed statement scrolled across the screen, Ackerley contemplates a dog’s frustration at trying to understand the human mind. As his imagination soars, he wonders if thousands of years ago, humans came under the protection of dogs, which tried to tame them and failed.
MY DOG TULIP
Opens on Wednesday in Manhattan.
Directed and animated by Paul and Sandra Fierlinger; written by Mr. Fierlinger, based on the book by J. R. Ackerley; music by John Avarese; produced by Norman Twain, Howard Kaminsky and Frank Pellegrino; released by New Yorker Films. At Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, west of Avenue of the Americas, South Village. Running time: 1 hour 23 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH THE VOICES OF: Christopher Plummer (J. R. Ackerley), Lynn Redgrave (Nancy/grocer’s wife) and Isabella Rossellini (Miss Canvenini).
For once, the summer can't end fast enough. Or at least that's the case in Hollywood, which is hoping to reboot its fortunes after a mediocre movie-going season that was mostly met with shrugs from apathetic audiences.
True, Iron Man 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3 and Inception all performed extremely well. But the response wasn't nearly so enthusiastic for such other big-ticket items as The A-Team, Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Knight and Day.
Fall, of course, is usually when the studios pack away their toys and haul out the grown-up Oscar bait. This year is no exception, with the volume of movies for adults up exponentially -- even if a certain, eagerly awaited teenage wizard is sure to overshadow them all.
Here then is a rundown of major releases from now until mid-November when the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the holiday movie season. But that's another preview. As always, all release dates are tentative.
The Town Sept. 17
The people: Directed by Ben Affleck, who also anchors an ensemble that includes Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Gossip Girl's Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall and The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner.
The plot: Affleck portrays a career criminal who falls for the bank teller (Hall) he recently victimized. Hamm is the FBI agent tracking him, while Renner is a member of Affleck's crew, concerned about his colleague's actions.
The prediction: Say what you will about Affleck's career in front of the camera, but as a director, he's got the goods (as evidenced by 2008's kidnapping thriller Gone Baby Gone). Promisingly, he's tackling similar territory here: Adapting a best-selling crime novel, set in Boston, with a crackling-good cast.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Sept. 24
The people: Directed by Oliver Stone; starring Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan
The prediction: The sequel -- which clearly hopes to tap into the anti-Wall Street zeitgeist -- received a warm, if not ecstatic response, at this past May's Cannes film festival. That likely means Stone and Douglas will fall short of the acclaim they gloried in two decades ago -- but without sullying their legacy.
The Social Network Oct. 1
The people: Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club); starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Rooney Mara.
The plot: A film about Facebook may sound about as engrossing as a Twitter television series, but Fincher's film -- penned by the brilliant Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) -- dramatizes the egos, personality clashes and legal battles that exploded in the aftermath of the creation of the social media monstrosity. As the tagline says, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."
The prediction: Friend me. If anyone can make a moody, involving film about a topic as innocuous as Facebook, it's Fincher. The movie will open the prestigious New York Film Festival, which suggests it more than delivers. Furthermore, two of its cast members have landed high-profile roles in future Sony productions -- a sign of confidence. Garfield is the new Spider-Man, while Mara, who has a small but pivotal role, won the fiercely sought-after role of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opposite Daniel Craig.
Paranormal Activity 2 Oct. 22
The people: Directed by Tod Williams; starring Katie Featherston.
The plot: After 2009's Paranormal Activity grossed more than $100 million in North America on a purported production budget of $15,000, a sequel was inevitable. The question is, was the first film a one-time phenomenon, like The Blair Witch Project, or can the zero-budget conceit sustain sequels?
The prediction: A massive opening, especially in pre-Halloween October, is guaranteed. Whether it can sustain that momentum will depend on the film itself. Williams, though, is an intriguing choice: he directed the under-valued drama The Door in the Floor.
Hereafter Oct. 22
The people: Directed by Clint Eastwood; starring Matt Damon, Cecile DeFrance and Bryce Dallas Howard
The plot: Eastwood and Damon, playing a psychic, reunite for a supernatural drama that interweaves multiple ghost stories together.
The prediction: The screenplay by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) has clear echoes of The Sixth Sense. And remember Eastwood is no slouch when it comes to generating spine-tingling suspense -- as he demonstrated with his 1971 directorial debut, Play Misty for Me.
Due Date Nov. 5
The people: Directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover); starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis and Jamie Foxx
The plot: Downey Jr. takes a break from comic-book action to star as Peter Highman, a high-strung, expectant father racing across the U.S. to be home in time for his child's birth. But his meticulous plans are thwarted by an oddball man-child played by Galifianakis.
The prediction: Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets The Hangover? It's hard to imagine a comedy confab more white-hot than Downey Jr., Galifianakis and Phillips.
Megamind Nov. 5
The people: Directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar); starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.
The plot: The uber-evil Megamind (Ferrell) has been defeated time and again by the dashing high-flying Metro Man (Pitt) and his reporter-girlfriend (Tina Fey). But what happens when the super-villain actually manages to vanquish his enemy? He realizes that without good, it's no fun being evil.
The prediction: Despicable Me's success underscored the point that audiences love to root for lovable bad guys. And DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon showed the animation studio is capable of more than 3D pop-culture snark. They had better -- since comparisons to not just Despicable Me but Pixar's The Incredibles are inevitable.
Morning Glory Nov. 12
The people: Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill); starring Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton.
The plot: The ambitious producer of a struggling morning talk show (McAdams) recruits a broadcasting dinosaur (Ford), who automatically clashes with the program's current anchor (Keaton).
The prediction: Broadcast News, it won't be. But the trailer at least hints that Ford has re-discovered his once-nimble sense of humour opposite the reliably-wonky Keaton. And, like water's wet, McAdams is, of course, radiant.
Unstoppable Nov. 12
The people: Directed by Tony Scott; starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson.
The plot: An engineer (Washington) and a conductor (Pine) scramble to stop a runaway train loaded with toxic chemicals.
The prediction: Few action maestros can pound a pulse quite like Scott when he constrains himself from over-directing (see Domino). Pine chose this as his first post-Star Trek project and would seem smartly paired with the incomparable Washington.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One Nov. 19
The people: Directed by David Yates; starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt and Miranda Richardson.
The plot: The first of a two-part adaptation of the seventh and last book -- with the second instalment out next summer -- this sequel finds Harry and dark lord Voldemort on a collision course. Does the key to Harry destroying his arch-nemesis lie in the legend of the Deathly Hallows?
The prediction: This deep into the saga, a Harry Potter film is unlikely to attract new fans; not that it matters. Potter films consistently gross $800 million-$1 billion apiece worldwide. And there's no reason to believe Deathly Hallows won't as well.
Piranha 3D producer Mark Canton has fired back at moviemaker James Cameron after he took aim at his fishy thriller in a new magazine article.
The Avatar director, who was fired from the set of the Piranha sequel, has been less than kind about the new film in a Vanity Fair article, insisting it's "an example of what we should not be doing in 3D".
Cameron claims the film, starring Ving Rhames and Elisabeth Shue, "cheapens the medium and reminds you of the bad 3D horror films from the 70s and 80s."
He adds, "When movies got to the bottom of the barrel of their creativity and at the last gasp of their financial lifespan, they did a 3D version to get the last few drops of blood out of the turnip. And that's not what's happening now with 3D."
Cameron's remarks have upset Canton, who accuses the director of having "a small vision regarding any motion pictures that are not his own."
The producer rants, "It is amazing that in the moviemaking process, which is certainly a team sport, that Cameron consistently celebrates himself out (sic) as though he is a team of one. His comments are ridiculous, self-serving and insulting to those of us who are not caught up in serving his ego and his rhetoric.
"My sense is that Mr. Cameron has never seen Piranha 3D, certainly not in a movie theatre with a real audience. Jim, we invite you to take that opportunity and experience the movie in a theatre full of fans - fans for whom this movie was always intended to entertain.
"On opening weekend, I was in a Los Angeles theatre with a number of today's great filmmakers including J.J. Abrams, who actually had nothing short of the fabulous, fun 3D experience that the movie provides. I am fortunate enough to have worked on, and continue to work on, evolutionary movies in all formats from just simple good storytelling."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has rallied back from early weakness, and a test of support in the 9,950 region, to trade higher by nearly 50 points. The DJIA has been bolstered by a continued rise in housing prices, as well as a solid Chicago purchasing managers' index and a rise in consumer confidence. Checking in on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), we find that 1,898 stocks are trading in positive territory, while 910 are firmly in the red. On the upside, we have Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF) sporting a gain of nearly 13%, while, China Green Agriculture Inc. (CGA) is leading the minority lower with a loss of nearly 7%.
Shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF), have soared more than 13% so far today, after investor Carl Icahn lifted his offer for the firm to $7.50 per share. Icahn had previously offered $6.50 per share for Lions Gate, but the company refused the bid.
Despite the $7.50 bid, LGF shares have been unable to topple long-term resistance in the $7.40 region. The equity has not closed a week above this level since October 2008. Meanwhile, sentiment toward the security is heavily negative, with the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.10 arriving in the 87th percentile of its annual range, while nearly 7% of LGF's float is sold short.
Despite a lack of headline news, the shares of China Green Agriculture Inc. (CGA) have tumbled nearly 7% so far today. Investors could be reacting to rival Monsanto Company's (MON) softer-than-expected 2010 earnings outlook, sending CGA shares lower in sympathy. The drop has been particularly hard on CGA, with the stock plunging below former round-number support in the $10 region. CGA has not closed a session below this area since July 20.
Bearish investors, however, could be celebrating their good fortune. CGA's SOIR of 1.61 rests just two percentage points shy of an annual peak, while nearly 21% of the stock's float has been sold short. However, there is a change for the company to make amends and distinguish itself from Monsanto. After the close of trading tomorrow night, CAG will step into the earnings confessional to release its quarterly report. Currently, analysts are looking for a profit of 24 cents per share. Historically, the company has bested these expectations in each of the prior four reporting periods. Another solid report tomorrow night could send CAG sharply higher, especially since expectations are currently set extremely low.
Barack Obama said America had paid a huge price for the war begun by George Bush in 2003. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters
Barack Obama formally brought an end to US combat operations in Iraq last night, seven years and 165 days after the invasion began, and declared it was time for America "to turn the page".
In a televised address to the nation from the Oval Office, the president said America had paid a huge price for the war begun by George W Bush to topple Saddam Hussein.
"Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," he said.
Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the restoration of sovereignty to Iraq: "Iraq today is sovereign and independent. With the execution of the troop pullout, our relations with the United States have entered a new stage between two equal, sovereign countries."
A ceremony is to be held in Baghdad today, attended by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, and Maliki, to mark the handover of responsibility for military operations from the US to Iraqi forces. Obama, whose early opposition to the invasion helped propel his White House candidacy, presented last night as the near-fulfilment of a key 2008 presidential election campaign pledge to end the war.
"This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office. Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq's security forces and support its government and people. That is what we have done," he said.
The number of US troops in Iraq has dropped from a high of 170,000 in 2007 to 50,000, whose mission changes from today from combat to assisting the Iraqi army. All 50,000 are scheduled to leave by the end of next year, unless the Iraqi government requests a few hundred or few thousand remain behind.
Around 1.5 million US men and women served in a war the Pentagon in 2003 had promised Bush would be short. There were 4,400 US fatalities, and an Iraqi death toll estimated at 100,000 to several hundreds of thousands. The US had 3.4m pieces of equipment in Iraq last year. That is down to 1.2m now, with bases reduced from 357 to 94.
It was only the second time that Obama has delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, the first when he promised to deal with the BP oil spill in the Gulf.
Obama said last night: "From this desk, seven and a half years ago, President Bush announced the beginning of military operations in Iraq. Much has changed since that night. A war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency. Terrorism and sectarian warfare threatened to tear Iraq apart. Thousands of Americans gave their lives; tens of thousands have been wounded. Our relations abroad were strained. Our unity at home was tested."
Obama engaged in a balancing act, wanting to boast that he had met his campaign promise but also stopping well short of a declaration of victory, especially with violence continuing in Iraq and the failure of Iraqi politicians to create a coalition government six months after elections.
He was careful to avoid the premature triumphalism that came to haunt George W Bush, whose "mission accomplished" banner in May 2003, only weeks after the invasion, was often replayed at each fresh outbreak of violence. Obama spoke to Bush by phone yesterday but the White House refused to say what they discussed.
During his address Obama noted that he and Bush had been at odds over the war. In a half-hearted effort at unity, he said no one doubted Bush had been committed to US troops and national security but he refused to go as far as Republicans wanted him by giving him credit for the 'surge'.
Republican leaders had claimed yesterday the handover of power was a success not for Obama but for Bush and his "surge" strategy in 2007, boosting the number of US troops, and reminding the public that Obama had been opposed to that strategy.
The Republican leader in the House, John Boehner, took aim at Obama, saying: "Some leaders who opposed, criticised, and fought tooth and nail to stop the surge strategy now proudly claim credit for the results. Today we mark not the defeat those voices anticipated, but progress," he told an American Legion convention in Milwaukee.
Last night the president concentrated on praising US troops, and expressing a desire to look beyond Iraq to other issues, namely Afghanistan and the pressing economic problems facing the US.
"Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest – it is in our own. The US has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home ... Now, it is time to turn the page."
He warned that it would be a misinterpretation if anyone saw the US withdrawal as a move towards isolationism. Instead, he said America "intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century".
Like others in the Obama administration, the defence secretary, Robert Gates, who held the post under Bush too, cautioned against "premature victory parades or self-congratulations".
Noting the failure of the Iraqis to form a government and the continued violence, he said: "I am not saying that all is, or necessarily will be, well in Iraq."
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Shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (
Despite a lack of headline news, the shares of China Green Agriculture Inc. (
