Julia Roberts Tops List of 'Most Beautiful People'

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Friday, April 30, 2010 1:13
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Pretty Woman still turns heads.
Julia Roberts has still got that special something. The Pretty Woman and Eat, Pray, Love actress was named the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by People Magazine.

Making her fourth cover appearance on the annual Most Beautiful People issue, Roberts, 42, is recognized both for her physical beauty and for her incredible personality.

As her close friend George Clooney describes her: "There's a reason why Julia is a timeless beauty, and it has nothing to do with the way she looks," he says. "It has everything to do with who she is."

Incredibly, it's been 20 years since Roberts broke into Hollywood with her performance in Pretty Woman, and now the mother of three (twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 5, and Henry, 2) is ready to begin a new phase of her life.

The actress will star in a film adaptation of the hit memoir Eat, Pray, Love about a broken woman on a spiritual journey. Roberts also just signed her first beauty contract earlier this year to become Lancome's global ambassador.

Eat, Pray, Love director Ryan Murphy says all the attention is well-deserved.

"She's never looked more beautiful," he tells People. "She is so happy and fulfilled and it shows."

The Most Beautfiul People issue hits newsstand Friday.

Check Out Our Latest Hot Celebrity Photos!

DJ Thai Protesters Storm Hospital In Search Of Soldiers -Report

BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Thailand's anti-government protesters stormed a hospital to search for soldiers it suspected of hiding in the complex, which is located next to their main rally site in central Bangkok, The Nation newspaper reported Friday.

More than 200 so-called "Red Shirt" guards swept through Chulalongkorn Hospital for an hour in front of bewildered nurses and doctors before seizing two men and taking them to their rally stage. They were later released when they were identified as workers.

The search ended after negotiations between protesters and police, who agreed to allow them to check the hospital premises again Friday, the newspaper reported.

Thailand is reeling from the worst political violence in almost two decades. At least 27 people have died and almost 1,000 have been injured this month in a series of bloody confrontations between the government and the "Red Shirts" seeking its ouster.

Medical Council President Somsak Loklekha in a statement urged protesters not to block the entrance to the hospital, adding that it should not be used as a shield for political purposes.

"I hope Red Shirt leaders, like Dr. Weng Tojirakarn, will understand our purpose. No demonstration in any country in the world uses hospital premises to defeat the opposition," Somsak was quoted as saying.

Chulalongkorn Hospital will Friday close its outpatient and inpatient units because of the demonstrations. It has suspended surgery for emergency patients, The Nation reported.


The Nation Web site: www.nationmultimedia.com

Director in hot water Police in Bali preparing immigration, work permit violation charges against him

Director in hot water
Police in Bali preparing immigration, work permit violation charges against him



The boys featured have denied their portrayed roles in the film, Cowboys In Paradise, which has raised a ruckus of sorts on the popular resort island. -- TNP PHOTO: ZAIHAN MOHD YUSOF


DENPASAR - BALI'S police are preparing charges of immigration and work permit violations against a Singapore-based film director over a movie that portrays beach boys on the island as gigolos.
The boys featured have denied their portrayed roles in the film, Cowboys In Paradise, which has raised a ruckus of sorts on the popular resort island.
Mr Armit Virmani, the Jakarta Globe reported Bali police spokesman Gede Sugianyar Dwi Putra as saying, did not have the official shooting permits.
The film-maker had also come to Bali on a tourist visa, and was not supposed to have done anything apart from vacationing, he added.
'But he made a film and thereby he clearly violated the immigration law,' he was quoted by Antara as saying.
If charged, the film-maker could face up to one year in jail and fines of up to 40 million rupiah (S$6,000) for violating Indonesia's laws.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_520922.html

The idea of filming in ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Bali was one of the selling points for the film's stars,

Julia Roberts agreed to star only if it was filmed in the actual four global locations.

Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts in "Eat, Pray, Love." (Francois Duhamel / Sony)

By Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times ay 2, 2010
When Julia Roberts signed on to play the title role in "Eat, Pray, Love," she made one thing clear: She wanted the film to be shot in the locations where the story was set. That wish, of course, would mean quite a lot of work for the film's crew, which spent nine months in pre-production trying to figure out how to logistically shoot a movie in New York, Italy, India and Bali.

But the effort was essential to making the movie work, said director Ryan Murphy. He wanted the film to stay true to the work it is based on, Elizabeth Gilbert's 2006 bestselling memoir about a post-divorce journey of self-discovery that leads her around the world.

"Julia was really adamant about wanting to film in the locations because the book has become such a phenomenon over the years. There are actual ‘Eat, Pray, Love' vacation tours people do to travel all over the world like Liz did," said Murphy.

But mapping out Gilbert's journey was, in Murphy's words, a "Herculean effort" that required multiple location scouts, thousands of photographs and a handful of e-mail exchanges with the author herself. But while the director was worried about straying from Gilbert's story, she had no such concerns and invited him to take creative liberties.
The idea of filming in Bali was one of the selling points for the film's stars, including Javier Bardem, who plays Felipe. "It was the chance to go there and see what was there to discover."

That audiences will be able to share in the locations is one of the special aspects of the film, believes Richard Jenkins, who plays Richard from Texas. As a kid, he first viewed the world through film. "I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and that's how I saw the world — through movies," he said.

The locations add a little bang to the movie buck too, Murphy said, because the film "is like four movies in one. The light in each one of these countries is so different — and the colors and the ambiance and the smells," he said. "They kind of don't make movies that let you do this type of traveling anymore."

CAPTIONS

NEW YORK: While filming here — like this scene in Washington Square Park with James Franco — the production often attracted eager onlookers. "Julia Roberts is the biggest female movie star of all time — she's been famous since God was a boy," director Murphy said. "So in New York, we had to have a lot of security. But the worst was Rome. We would have 500 people showing up every day screaming Julia's name — it was like a rock concert every day."

ITALY: Though Roberts wears a scarf in this scene, director Murphy said it was actually blistering hot while they were shooting. "That's why Julia is such a great actor, because we shot Rome in August and you see her all bundled up in all these fall clothes eating pasta," he said. "Imagine eating tripe and spaghetti carbonara when it's 102 degrees outside. Not a lot of fun."

INDIA: During their down time, cast and crew would sometimes take side trips — Jenkins went to Varanasi. "It's the holy place for Hindus, and it was really great," he said. "To see what a holy site means to Hindus and how much they revere and worship it every night was terrific. They had fabulous lights and fires, and I learned a lot."

BALI: In Bali, Bardem noticed that the local people had a special relationship with their surroundings. "They truly feel they are a component of nature itself and that nature has a power to create and destroy," he said. "So nature is like a god itself on that island. It's a beautiful thing because I think it brings a humble feeling to life that we need to remind ourselves of — that we live in a place that is thousands of years older than us."


Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-eatpraylove-20100502,0,3434412.story

British tourists have been warned to avoid travelling to Thailand as violent political protests erupted

Tourists told to avoid Thailand as protest grows
British tourists have been warned to avoid travelling to Thailand as violent political protests erupted into running battles that resulted in the death of a soldier and left 18 wounded.
 
by Damien McElroy and Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
Published: 5:36PM BST 28 Apr 2010

Thai soldiers open fire rubber bullets at anti-government protesters during crackdown on a highway in Bangkok. Troops stopped a caravan of anti-government demonstrators heading from Bangkok to a neighbouring province by setting up road barriers and shooting at the tyres of the vehicles Photo: EPA
A Foreign Office advisory said there was a growing risk the confrontation would spread from Bangkok to other parts of the country after demonstrators vowed to resist security force efforts to disband the movement.
The advice said those already in Thailand should stay indoors and noted that opposition groups had threatened to unleash violence against the government forces.
"We advise against all but essential travel to all parts of Thailand. This advice reflects our concern that violence could break out during the increasingly volatile political crisis," the warning said.
"British nationals should continue to exercise extreme caution throughout the country and avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.
"This advice reflects the increasing tension in Thailand and our concern that violent incidents of an unpredictable nature are occurring in many parts of Thailand."
Shots were fired yesterday after opposition leaders instructed more than 2,000 followers to move to a nearby neighbouring province in a convoy of trucks and motorcycles.
By calling a rally elsewhere, the opposition hoped to test the government's resolve. A confrontation broke out when pro-government forces interdicted the convoy.
The trooper was shot in the head during a confused incident when uniformed men on motorbikes drove through the Red Shirt ranks at the army and police lines.
The loyalties of members of the security forces are split between the two camps, with Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol, a renegade military leader, commanding the protester's defences.
The renewed violence is the worst since a grenade attack on rival demonstrators left one person dead and scores wounded last week.
Travel agencies reported, however, that Britons were pressing ahead with trips to Thailand despite the threat.
Thomas Cook said holidaymakers were due to travel to Thailand up to and including Friday would be given the option to amend or cancel their holiday with a full refund.
"We are working closely with the Foreign Office and the Federation of Tour Operators to review the situation as it evolves and will continue to update customers accordingly," a statement said.
Insurance industry bodies warned the advice would leave some travellers unprotected if they got caught up in violence.
Frances Tuke, a spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents, said: "Some people are still wanting to go out to Thailand despite the FO advice.
"They should realise that should they decide to go, get caught up in an incident and get injured and have travelled knowing the Foreign Office advice, they will not be covered by insurance."
Dennis and Janet Warner, a British couple last night complained they had been abandoned by a tour operator after they were caught up in the Bangkok violence "We were just left over there – we didn't know what was going on because we weren't told anything," said Mr Warner. "It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime by in the end it turned out to be a nightmare."
The United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, which is popularly known as the Red Shirt movement, is made up mainly of rural poor loyal to ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in 2006.
It has been protesting in Bangkok for seven weeks in a bid to bring down the government of Eton-educated Abhisit Vejjajiva, which they regard as illegitimate. A series of bloody clashes has now left at least 27 dead.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7646124/Tourists-told-to-avoid-Thailand-as-protest-grows.html TelegraphNews

Financial Markets Hit by a Double Whammy

The world's financial markets got hit by a double whammy in the last two days with first an announcement coming late Tuesday, Bali Time, that Greece’s bonds have been lowered to junk status by rating services. The second whammy was an intense televised investigation by the United States Senate into possible securities violations by the largest security firm in the United States, Goldman Sachs.
I watched the proceedings and saw United States Senators lower themselves trying to use this case as a showcase to support the passing of Obama's current legislation which will put heavy regulation on the financial markets in the near future.
I was very surprised by one senator who quoted obscene language on national television. Television broadcasters using the same language would be fined or fired. I can hear parent’s children saying the same words and when being scolded saying but mommy a senator said that on TV.
My conclusion after observing the investigation was that Goldman Sachs was accused for wrongdoing simply because of the personal opinions of a few brokers expressed in interoffice emails.
This is the same company that the U.S. government used taxpayer’s money to bail out last year. Goldman Sachs has played back all the money plus an annualized 23% return.
I watched closely Goldman Sachs stock during the televised spectacle and I was convinced that other sophisticated investors believe that this is the modern equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition since the stock value actually rose $1.00 during the show.
The old saying goes “You can't fight City Hall” and fighting the U.S. federal government is even more difficult for anyone who's ever tried it. They have unlimited resources and young attorneys biting at the bullet who are trying to make a name for themselves with its high profile cases.
Goldman Sachs will probably lose and be forced to pay a huge fine which will be just a drop in the bucket of their current earnings.
I believe this Goldman Sachs controversy will pass soon. Obama will pass his legislation hiring more government officials at more tax payer costs.
I hope they're not the same S.E.C. officials that were caught watching porn while they were supposed to watching the financial markets and let guys like Bernard Madoff cheat investors for hundreds of millions. A classic example of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing.
In the end the markets should return to what really counts and that is that companies are making money and the economy is recovering.
I sincerely believe we still have another major leg of this bull market in stocks and commodity markets merely because we have not had the small investor enter the market yet.
When moms and pops are investing their retirement plans back into the market I will look for an exit strategy.
Until then I am buying more Canadian dollars on dips which went above par earlier this week and then fell 1%.
Finally as my readers have been well aware I've been very bullish on the Indonesian rupiah and economy. My beliefs have been validated with the rupiah hitting a 33 month high this week against the United States dollar at very close to 9,000 rupiah to the Dollar. If you had taken my advice and kept your savings in Indonesia bank accounts offering 5% to 6% interest would have walked away with a 10% to 16% return on your bank account against the U.S.D. Not bad considering bank accounts in most other countries are offering 1% to 2%.
If you're really worried about a Greece default affecting the Euro and U.S.D. Buy more gold, silver, Palladium and Canadian dollars.
The best returns will be on Bali or Lombok beachfront properties starting at $79,000 which I expect to double or triple in the next 3-10 years.

Indonesian Exporters Wince as Rupiah Hits 33-Month High

Editors Note: As my loyal readers are aware I have been forecasting a higher Indonesian Rupiah for the last several years . Once again this week it hit a new high.

Rupiah saving s account at 5- 6 % offer a great alternative to most foreign bank offering only 1-2 % especially since the currency us going up.


The rupiah traded at its highest level since July 2007 on Monday as foreign investors continued to snap up the nation’s financial assets, leading some Indonesian exporters to express concerns about the currency’s strength.

The rupiah touched 8,997 versus the dollar in morning trade before weakening to 9,014 by the stock market close. It rose along with international markets on news that Greece’s debt crisis was easing, making riskier assets more attractive.

The Jakarta Composite Index surged 1.3 percent to close at 2,881.3, rising for the first time in three days. Government bonds also gained.

Darmin Nasution, the acting governor of Bank Indonesia, urged exporters not to worry about the rupiah’s appreciation, stressing that it only briefly rose past the 9,000 level.

But Hassan Widjaja, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters (AEKI), said he was concerned that the rupiah’s strength could hurt exporters. “We are expecting the government to issue a policy regarding this situation, so it could actually help both farmers and exporters instead of sinking them,” he said.

The rupiah is Asia’s best-performing currency outside Japan over the past 12 months, climbing 25 percent.

Eric Alexander Sugandi, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia, said the global economic recovery would continue to increase appetite for riskier assets, generating capital inflows and strengthening the rupiah, which he said was still undervalued.

“As the global economy has recovered, global investors, mainly from the United States, are looking to invest in emerging markets,” Eric said. “We target the rupiah to reach 8,800 at the year’s end.”

Holdings of rupiah debt totaled Rp 136.5 trillion ($15.15 billion) as of Thursday, up from Rp 108 trillion at the end of last year, according to the Finance Ministry’s Web site.

Overseas investors have bought $455 million more of local stocks than they have sold so far in 2010. Local-currency bonds have handed investors a 28 percent return in the past year, the most among Asia’s 10 largest economies excluding Japan, HSBC Holdings indexes show.

Richard Yetsenga, a global currency strategist at HSBC Holdings in Hong Kong, said signs that Greece’s fiscal crisis was easing boosted demand for higher-yielding assets, including in Indonesia.

“The Greece announcement has given all markets a burst higher,” he said. “Indonesia’s story itself is pretty straightforward. Its yields are high and inflation is low.”

Eric noted that the country’s economic fundamentals were strong.

“We have a healthy balance of payments, our inflation is rising but still manageable and the country’s risk is still low. This makes Indonesia an attractive place for investment among the emerging markets,” he said.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/indonesian-exporters-wince-as-rupiah-hits-33-month-high/369081