Daily News Channel
At the movies this weekend, Sly Stallone’s Expendables return, Roman Polanski directs his wife, Helen Mirren cooks up a storm and Postman Pat’s big screen debut really delivers.
THE EXPENDABLES 3 (M, 126mins 1/2)
Robin Williams had just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease when he died earlier this week, his wife says.
The Hollywood favourite, 63, was found dead in his Californian home on Monday after an apparent suicide.
His wife Susan Schneider has issued a new statement about the state of his health, Variety reported.
“Robin’s sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly,” she said in the quoted statement.
“It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid,” she added.
“Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child – Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid. Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles.”
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– Stuff
Emmanuelle Seigner’s fourth collaboration with her husband Roman Polanski might just be their best.
As actress and director, the pair have previously worked together on thrillers Frantic, Bitter Moon and The Ninth Gate.
But as they prepare to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary later this month, they are also basking the glory of Venus in Fur, a French adaptation of American playwright David Ives 2010 production, which itself was
Spiders and wetas rank among The Amazing Race contestant Aston Garratt’s worst fears.
So plenty of will power was needed when she ate deep-fried tarantulas in Cambodia during filming of the popular reality TV series.
“It’s a head game. I managed to get through it and I felt like I had conquered the world or climbed Mt Everest,” she said.
The show pits Australians against New Zealanders in a race around the world.
Garratt, a psychology student, lives in Torbay with her son Seth, 4.
She said the experience took her on a spiritual and physical journey.
The biggest thing she learnt was that when life gets tough you never know what is around the corner, Garratt said.
“I was a depressed, suicidal teenager and I’m so glad I stuck around and pushed through all the hard stuff in my life because this experience has been incredibly life-changing.”
Garratt and friend Christie Orr star on the show as the “overweight comic relief”.
Orr is a natural comedian, Garratt said.
“That’s what we like to do, go around and make people laugh at us. There’s some great moments there that give some great laughs and that’s all we could ask for really.”
They met while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in New York seven years ago and discovered they were both from Auckland.
They’d never argued before the show but Garratt said there is lots of drama coming up.
“We have so many similarities but we’re like sisters, we can clash really easily.”
The experience taught Garratt a lot about getting along with people.
“Normally you can just walk away but we didn’t have that luxury. We were forced to make it work,” she said.
The contestants are watching The Amazing Race for the first time as it screens on television.
“It’s so much fun watching it and reliving it. With reality TV you get really worried that they’re going to make you look bad. But we were really happy,” Garratt said.
Garratt and Orr had only three weeks to prepare for the race before they took off.
Confidentiality agreements meant the contestants were “spinning lies for months” about where they had been.
They could finally break their silence when the first advertisements appeared.
The series is now screening on TV so the teams still have to keep quiet about the final placings.
But Garratt said she loved every challenge and would do the show again in a heartbeat.
“When stuff gets hard now I think maybe there’s another The Amazing Race – something else that makes it worth sticking around.”
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– North Shore Times
Gwyneth
British police have spent six hours searching
UK police investigating an alleged sex crime say they have searched a property belonging to singer Sir Cliff Richard.
“A search warrant was granted after police received an allegation of a sexual nature dating back to the 1980s involving a boy who was under the age of 16 at the time,” a spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said.
Eight officers were at the house in Berkshire, west of London on Thursday.
When asked about reports that the suspect is Sir Cliff, the police referred to a statement issued on Thursday regarding the search.
The statement said the owner was believed to be out of the country, and that no one has been arrested.
British police do not name people who have not been charged.
The search was not connected to Operation Yewtree, the BBC said, but officers from that operation have been notified.
The singer, born Harry Webb, is one of the most successful British musicians of all time.
More to come
-Sydney Morning Herald and AP
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With 4000 copies sold by lunchtime and several thousand already on back order, Nicky Hager’s bombshell has “overwhelmed” the book industry.
Hager’s book, Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment, launched last night, is based on thousands of emails revealing the extent of the relationship between Slater and prominent National Party figures.
The executive director and publisher at Craig Potton Publishing, Robbie Burton, said the entire first run of Dirty Politics – 4000 copies – sold out by lunchtime today.
“Truth is we’ve been completely overwhelmed by the level of interest,” he said.
Several thousand were on order for tomorrow morning, and the printers were “going for it” until demand slowed.
Burton said it was difficult to predict the book’s popularity, but he did not expect it to sell so fast and he would have been happy with 4000 copies sold.
“I’m thrilled that people still want to read books about a subject like this,” he said.
“It’s nice for us in the industry to know there’s still a place for this kind of long-form analysis. It’s gratifying.”
He said an ebook would be on offer through Wheelers today.
Unity Books Auckland owner Jo McColl said she had been selling books for about 35 years but never experienced demand like this.
Before the store opened today, all its copies of Dirty Politics had been sold via orders.
“One of our staff was on Twitter until 11pm taking orders from home,” she said.
Public interest had been “completely out of the blue”.
“No [shop] was given a chance to order; it was just a blind number,” she said.
“We were sent a pathetically small number. To be fair, I still would have vastly underestimated it.
“Nicky’s books have always gone well, but they usually take a little while to chug into gear.
“But this has just come roaring out of the gates like I’ve never seen before.”
The media, political parties and men and women of all ages had placed orders, she said.
With another 300 copies arriving tomorrow morning, and 150 already on back order, Unity was set to sell out again.
“It was about this time last year The Luminaries came out and we were just wondering how we were going to beat those figures,” she said.
Nielsen Book Services listed The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton, as the top-selling title in New Zealand last year with more than 42,000 copies sold.
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1pm. @UnityBooks Auckland has sold out of Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics & I’m at the bottom of this stack of preorders pic.twitter.com/QAthq0kDv7
— Robbie Ellis (@ellisrobbie) August 14, 2014
Whitcoulls staff say the last book to sell out as fast as #dirtypolitics was the final Harry Potter @ONENewsNZ pic.twitter.com/glpLh4kXK2
— Simon Bradwell (@simonbradwellnz) August 13, 2014
Jono Galuszka: “#dirtypolitics sold out at both Whitcoulls stores in Palmerston North before 10am this morning”
#dirtypolitics sold out at both Whitcoulls stores in Palmerston North before 10am this morning.
— Jono Galuszka (@jonogaluszka) August 13, 2014
Last two copies at PaperPlus Hamilton CBD #hagerbook pic.twitter.com/GtB0zdgByv
— Greville Whittle (@GrevilleWhittle) August 13, 2014
– Stuff
With 4000 copies sold by lunchtime and several thousand already on back order, Nicky Hager’s bombshell has “overwhelmed” the book industry.
Hager’s book, Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment, launched last night, is based on thousands of emails revealing the extent of the relationship between Slater and prominent National Party figures.
The executive director and publisher at Craig Potton Publishing, Robbie Burton, said the entire first run of Dirty Politics – 4000 copies – sold out by lunchtime today.
“Truth is we’ve been completely overwhelmed by the level of interest,” he said.
Several thousand were on order for tomorrow morning, and the printers were “going for it” until demand slowed.
Burton said it was difficult to predict the book’s popularity, but he did not expect it to sell so fast and he would have been happy with 4000 copies sold.
“I’m thrilled that people still want to read books about a subject like this,” he said.
“It’s nice for us in the industry to know there’s still a place for this kind of long-form analysis. It’s gratifying.”
He said an ebook would be on offer through Wheelers today.
Unity Books Auckland owner Jo McColl said she had been selling books for about 35 years but never experienced demand like this.
Before the store opened today, all its copies of Dirty Politics had been sold via orders.
“One of our staff was on Twitter until 11pm taking orders from home,” she said.
Public interest had been “completely out of the blue”.
“No [shop] was given a chance to order; it was just a blind number,” she said.
“We were sent a pathetically small number. To be fair, I still would have vastly underestimated it.
“Nicky’s books have always gone well, but they usually take a little while to chug into gear.
“But this has just come roaring out of the gates like I’ve never seen before.”
The media, political parties and men and women of all ages had placed orders, she said.
With another 300 copies arriving tomorrow morning, and 150 already on back order, Unity was set to sell out again.
“It was about this time last year The Luminaries came out and we were just wondering how we were going to beat those figures,” she said.
Nielsen Book Services listed The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton, as the top-selling title in New Zealand last year with more than 42,000 copies sold.
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1pm. @UnityBooks Auckland has sold out of Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics & I’m at the bottom of this stack of preorders pic.twitter.com/QAthq0kDv7
— Robbie Ellis (@ellisrobbie) August 14, 2014
Whitcoulls staff say the last book to sell out as fast as #dirtypolitics was the final Harry Potter @ONENewsNZ pic.twitter.com/glpLh4kXK2
— Simon Bradwell (@simonbradwellnz) August 13, 2014
Jono Galuszka: “#dirtypolitics sold out at both Whitcoulls stores in Palmerston North before 10am this morning”
#dirtypolitics sold out at both Whitcoulls stores in Palmerston North before 10am this morning.
— Jono Galuszka (@jonogaluszka) August 13, 2014
Last two copies at PaperPlus Hamilton CBD #hagerbook pic.twitter.com/GtB0zdgByv
— Greville Whittle (@GrevilleWhittle) August 13, 2014
– Stuff
Sheriff’s officials in the San Francisco Bay Area have defended their decision to release details about how actor Robin Williams took his own life, saying state law requires they be disclosed to the public.
Marin County Sheriff’s Lt Keith Boyd said in an email that the agency would have liked to withhold some of the information, but could not under the California Public Records Act.
“These kinds of cases, whether they garner national attention or not, are very difficult for everyone involved,” Boyd said.
“Frankly, it would have been our personal preference to withhold a lot of what we disclosed to the press yesterday, but the California Public Records Act does not give us that kind of latitude.”
Boyd announced during a live, televised news conference that Williams committed suicide by hanging himself.
He described in detail how Williams carried out the suicide and the condition of the body. Some people criticised the level of detail, and experts in suicide prevention said the information could influence those considering suicide to try the same thing.
“Having that amount of detail is not helpful” said Lyn Morris, vice president of clinical operations at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, which runs the main suicide prevention hotline in Southern California. “The contagion effect is real, and it’s worrisome.”
Boyd said the sheriff’s office is discussing with the county’s attorney possible exemptions to the public record’s act that would allow it to withhold the 911 call it received from Williams’ home and fire dispatch tapes. But Boyd said the agency would likely have to release them within 10 days, as required by law.
Free speech groups defended the disclosures as appropriate and said the law enforcement agency was responding to a crush of a requests for information required to be disclosed.
“Coroners are not required to provide details by press conference,” said Terry Francke, head of open government group Californians Aware. But he said the Marin County Sheriff’s Department chose to disseminate as much information as quickly possible at one time rather than leak piecemeal. About three dozen television cameras and twice as many reporters from around the globe crowded the news conference outside the sheriff’s offices on Tuesday morning.
“While the impact of the details on some people’s mourning of Mr Williams’ passing may have been jarring, keeping what was known under wraps would have added needless speculation if not suspicion to the general shock,” Francke said.
WHERE TO GET HELP:
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 – Provides 24 hour telephone counselling
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Youthline: 0800 376 633 or free text 234 – Provides 24 hour telephone and text counselling services for young people
Samaritans: 0800 726 666 – Provides 24 hour telephone counselling.
Tautoko: 0508 828 865 – provides support, information and resources to people at risk of suicide, and their family, whānau and friends.
Alcohol & Drug Helpline