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Buzz News Roundup, 12/1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:30:06 -0800

The creator of the HBO series Rome wants to film a movie to wrap up the series. — The Hollywood Reporter
The English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's animated Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea will feature a voice cast that includes Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White and others. — ComingSoon
Director Gabriele Muccino is planning a sequel to his romance L'Ultimo Bacio (The Last Kiss, which spawned an American remake starring Zach Braff and Rachel Bilson) with the original cast. — Variety
Rosie O'Donnell says there won't be any more episodes of Rosie Live. — TV Guide
T.I. is back at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week with "Live Your Life," just barely beating out two Beyonce songs. — Billboard
Steve Buscemi is in talks with HBO about starring in its drama pilot Boardwalk Empire. — Zap2It
The lawyer for Guns N' Roses and Axl Rose has castigated Dr Pepper, accusing the soda maker of failing to deliver on its promotion to offer free soda in celebration of the band's album Chinese Democracy, though Guns N' Roses was never involved in the campaign. — Billboard
The building made famous as the Slough branch in the UK version of The Office has been rocked by a chemical explosion and fire, but nobody has been injured. —The Sun

Out and About: Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

PetSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:30:36 -0700

Although, Torre Argentina is best known as the section of ancient Rome where Julius Caesar was murdered by Brutus (“Et tu, Brute?"), the archaeological ruins now host hundreds of stray cats. A Sugar staffer recently visited Italy's Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary and made this great video – tune in and learn all about these felines!

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Rome Begins Gypsy Census Without Fingerprints

CitizenSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:25:34 -0700

Rome Begins Gypsy Census Without Fingerprints
City officials and Italian Red Cross workers began a census of Rome's Gypsy population but said Friday that they will not participate in a national push to fingerprint all Gypsies unless they encounter someone suspected of a crime. Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government has drawn a stream of criticism from the European Union and human rights groups since announcing last month it wanted to fingerprint the tens of thousands of Gypsies, children and adults alike, who live in hundreds of encampments built mainly around Rome, Naples and Milan.

Tom Hanks/ Prof. Robert Langdon Not Welcomed in Church

LibertySugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:30:21 -0700

Tom Hanks is a persona non grata in all of the churches of the Vatican and Rome. The Vatican has banned the filming of Angels and Demons, Dan Brown's sequel to The Da Vinci Code because it is "an offense against God."

The head of the Vatican's Prefecture For Economic Affairs said:

[The stories] turned the Gospels upside down to poison the faith. It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into mendacious films in the name of business.

The Church did not even read the script, as the name Dan Brown was enough to merit a ban. In The Da Vinci Code, Brown suggests that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children, and Angels and Demons paints a picture of corrupt leadership in the Catholic Church.

I'm still trying to decide whether viewers are sophisticated enough to distinguish between fiction and accepted theology. Still, while modern moviegoers may wish the Catholic Church lightened up for the sake of art and entertainment, it's hard to imagine the Church freely giving its stamp of approval. Would it not lend credibility to the theology created by Dan Brown? Do you approve of the Church's disapproval?

Source

UN Leader: World Needs 50 Percent More Food

LibertySugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:00:21 -0700

The world must produce 50 percent more food by 2030, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told world leaders yesterday at a summit hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.

The UN leader urged nations to minimize trade barriers, and to produce more food. Pope Benedict XVI had a slightly different message, noting that the world already has the means to solve the problem. The Pope said: "hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world which, in reality, has sufficient production levels, the resources, and the know-how to put an end to these tragedies and their consequences."

While they meet about how to solve the immediate hunger crisis caused by rising food costs, world leaders don't want to look like a bunch of foodie hypocrites. To see what they'll be eating,

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Disturbia
If you haven't seen cutie Shia LaBeouf in this surprisingly successful teenage thriller with a premise similar to that of Rear Window, it's time to rent Disturbia. LaBeouf plays Kale, a teenager on house arrest for assaulting a teacher who uttered some unkind words about Kale's recently deceased dad. He whiles away his posh "prison" time watching the goings-on outside, including those involving his hot new neighbor, Ashley (Sarah Roemer). Soon, Ashley is onto Kale and wants a piece of the stakeout action, too. The teens become convinced that a creepy neighbor across the street is actually a killer, and from there the movie goes into full-throttle thriller mode. For more of my thoughts on Disturbia (which spent three straight weeks as the No. 1 movie at the box office), check out my review.

Two more new releases, so

A Taste of Rome

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:24:56 -0800

Leave it to the folks over at the premium cable channels to come up with another fun marketing campaign. This time HBO has graced 100 Italian restaurants in LA, NY and Chicago with bottles of Rome wine. The cabernet sauvingnon, which is bottled in California, will be offered free to patrons. Each table will have a card that states:

And our house wine tonight is brought to you by HBO. A taste of 'Rome' awaits you. Ask server for details.

I'm not sure what the entire marketing strategy is, but I wonder if it will cause as much buzz as rival Showtime's clever Weeds brownie promotion.

Source: Ad Age

Sight Jogging in Rome

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 03:00:00 -0800

Are you lucky enough to be taking a trip to Rome any time in the near future? I am jealous. How then, you lucky dog, are you going to combine staying fit with seeing all of the amazing things Rome has to offer?

You may want to check out Sight Jogging, which is a new, entertaining and different way of combining tourism and exercising. Sight Jogging is a unique fitness and cultural opportunity to have highly-experienced trainers, (who speak different languages), guide you through Rome.

The trainers make the programs and running pace according to the clients’ age and fitness level. During the run, the fit/tour guides show you the highlights along the route. The routes can be chosen among a list of selected ones, considering difficulty and main kind of interest (whether artistic, historic or naturalistic). The price is right too, a 4 person tour costs only 140 Euros. For more info, check out SightJogging.com.

Fit's Tip: Don't worry about packing your heart rate monitors, they'll lend you one.