LA Times - Frederica Sagor Maas obituary: Silent film screenwriter dies at 111, Jan 10, 2012

"One of the last links to the silent film era, Frederica Sagor Maas wrote the script for 1925's "The Plastic Age," which launched actress Clara Bow. But she watched in horror as her serious treatment on women and work was turned into a frivolous 1947 musical, "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim," starring Betty Grable."
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Washington Times - Katy Perry and Russell Brand: What to Consider When You’re Considering Divorce, Jan 10, 2012

"Divorce filings skyrocket in January. Many people hold off filing for divorce between Thanksgiving and Christmas to avoid disruption during the holidays. But the minute people get past their New Year’s Day hangover, the phones in my office start ringing and the rush is on."
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ALTFG - Frederica Sagor Pt.2: Women Screenwriters in 1920s Hollywood, Jan 10, 2012

"Screenwriter Frederica Sagor Dead at 111: Wrote Movies for Norma Shearer (photo), Clara Bow, Louise Brooks
Now, whether Frederica Sagor's Hollywood Babylon-like tales bear any resemblance to what actually happened at studio parties and private soirees, I can't tell. But on the professional side, one problem with the information found in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim is that studios invariably used numerous writers, whether male or female, in their projects. Usually, in those pre-Writers Guild days, only two or three contributors received final credit, not because of the uncredited writer's gender but in large part because the final product "
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Latino Fox News - Messi Named World's Best for 3rd Year Running, Jan 10, 2012

"Barcelona and Argentina's little "flea," Lionel Messi, 24, became was named FIFA's 2011 best player in the world, the first player to win the honor three years in a row.
Widely regarded as the world's best forward, Messi received the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2011 on Monday, beating Barcelona club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo."
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The Austtralian - Sydney's George St rated in world's top shopping spots, Jan 10, 2012

"FORGET New York's famous Fifth Avenue or California's Rodeo Drive, an Aussie street has been named one of the world's ultimate places to shop at.
Sydney’s George Street has come in at number six on a list of the world’s top shopping streets compiled by Paris-based market consulting company Presence Mystery Shopping.
It made the cut because of its friendly department stores and brightly lit boutiques, along with quirky shops at the southern end and top-end fashion stores and cafes in the Queen Victoria building."
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Express and Star - Messi bags Ballon d’Or hat-trick « Express & Star, Jan 10, 2012

"Barcelona’s 24-year-old Argentina striker beat team-mate Xavi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo to the title of the world’s best player. Messi, man of the match in the Champions League final in 2011, also won the Primera Division, Spanish Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup last year.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Xavi both paid tribute to Messi. Ferguson said Messi could now be judged alongside the greats of world football through the ages, even though he is still only 24."
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LA Times - Raymond L. Johnson Sr. obituary: Civil rights activist dies at 89, Jan 10, 2012

"By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
January 9, 2012
Raymond L. Johnson Sr., an attorney, civil rights activist and former Tuskegee Airman, died Dec. 31 in Los Angeles of complications of pneumonia and heart failure, said his wife, Evelyn. He was 89.
Johnson, who practiced law for nearly 50 years, was a leader of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People in the 1960s and 1970s. After the 1965 Watts riots, he provided free legal assistance to African Americans who were wrongfully arrested during the disturbances. He sought redress for those who were convicted without adequate legal counsel and lost homes and jobs while they were in jail."
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CENTREDAILY - GENEVA: Bulgarian pianist Alexis Weissenberg dies at 82, Jan 10, 2012

"GENEVA — Bulgarian-born French pianist Alexis Weissenberg, whose love of music from the age of 3 saved him and his mother from a World War II concentration camp and carried him to the heights of performances with Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, has died. He was 82.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Culture on Monday confirmed the death of Weissenberg, who was born into a Jewish family in the capital Sofia but spent most of his life abroad and became a French citizen."
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BOSTON Globe - National radio: Guinea-Bissau president dies, Jan 10, 2012

"President Malam Bacai Sanha, who was elected in this tiny, coup-prone nation on Africa’s western coast about two years ago after the previous leader was assassinated, died Monday in Paris after a lengthy hospitalization.
No immediate cause was given but the 64-year-old president was known to have diabetes, and had undergone medical treatment in both France and neighboring Senegal during his time in office. National radio announced his death Monday afternoon.
An official at Guinea-Bissau’s embassy in Paris, Luis Mendes, said Sanha died Monday morning at the Val de Grace hospital after being hospitalized in France “for about a month’’ with an unspecified ailment, Mendes said."
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VOA News - A Tibetan Lama Self-immolates in Golok Darlak, Jan 10, 2012

"Sopa Tulku, also known as Sonam Wangyal, self-immolated on the morning of January 8 in Golok Darlak, Amdo, calling for “Freedom in Tibet’ and ‘Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” Lama Sopa Tulku is the head lama of Tongkyap monastery, the highest religious figure to have taken out such a protest act to date.This follows two other self-immolations that took place on January 6 in Ngaba, Sichuan.
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ALLVOICES - Katy Perry, Russell Brand divorced over conflicting sexual desires, Jan 10, 2012

"There had been much speculation about Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s divorce, but no one really did see it coming and that too this soon.
It was news even for the couple’s friends, who were taken aback by this sudden divorce. It had only been 14 months and the couple seemed so much in love when they got married. It has left people guessing as to what the reasons are behind the split.
Media houses are looking for clues or inklings as to what really happened. Was it the conflicting schedules, extensive touring and filming which took a toll on the marriage or something else? That would be the best answer, but since it is so politically correct, the media people aren’t too happy. No scandals, no cheating, no controversy? Boring! Because that won’t sell any magazines!"

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DAILY Mail - RICHARD KAY: Divorced? Oh no we're not, says Aga, Jan 10, 2012

"Just three months ago it seemed there was nothing to prevent the glamorous divorcee Beatrice von der Schulenburg from becoming the third wife of the Aga Khan.
After years of wrangling, the spiritual leader of the 12 million-strong Ismaeli Muslims had seemingly divorced wife No. 2, the Begum Inaara, and had been ordered to pay her £54 million."

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MATANGI Tonga - Sir Frederick Gordon Ward, knighted in New Year's Honours, Jan 10, 2012

"Tonga's former Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Gordon Ward, has been made a knight bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2012 New Year's honours list, for his services as the Chief Justice for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and his judiciary service for the Commonwealth. "
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