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PEOPLE. CELEBRITIES
BOOKS REVIEW BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE,
Chief
Foreign Correspondent and Senior Critic.
 "BEYOND
THE SECRET" by Alexandra Bruce
Rating:
 ISBN:
978-1932857-93-1. 304 pages.
Alexandra
Bruce is known for her discussions on metaphysics, quantum physics,
The Montauk Mythos, Tibetan vampirism, and UFOs. But her book
"Beyond The Secret" explores different dimensions. The book is a
rainbow of intelligent ideas, and in-depth visions of secrets that
surround our life, ranging from technology and religion to society
and science. Alexandra Bruce delivered a formidable book; a prism
reflecting the most important thoughts and socio-cultural concepts
in the history of humanity, and perhaps beyond...
 Alexandra
Bruce, a world-class author.
Her
narrative style is clear, crisp and rich. Although the core of the
book flirts with philosophical and sometimes metaphysical aspects of
the human persona and fabric, the essence of the book remains a
pragmatic guide to success, global understanding of the world that
surrounds us at so many levels. Needless to say, Alexandra Bruce's
exploration of empowered wealth, financial assets, civic assets
blended with with an astonishing varieties of laws governing
attraction, randomness, business and reality transmute her book
into one of the most indispensable books of the decade. "Beyond the
Secret" is a gem. Bruce's readers will be surrounded by a fresh
breeze of happiness and intelligent tranquility. Buy the book. You
will treasure it for years to come. Rating: 5 stars out of five.
____________________________________________________
“Doo
Wop: The Music, The Times, The Era”: A masterpiece! A gem!
By Maximillien de Lafayette,
Syndicated Columnist
Cover of the book:
Doo Wop:
The Music, The Times, The Era, by Bruce
Morrow and Rich Maloof.
“Cousin Brucie”
Morrow’s and Rich Maloof’s most recent book Doo Wop: The Music,
The Times, The Era, will have an enormous effect and a major
impact on music lovers, music historians and the conscience of
American heritage chronicles at many levels, and for ad
infinitum reasons.
The Visual
Effect
The
book is a delightful visual panorama of the life, the times and
pioneers of America’s most distinctive and meaningful musical era;
the Doo Wop! The pagination is effective, the layout is spectacular
and the artistic design of the book is magnetizing. From the front
cover to the back cover, and from the inside front cover to the
jacket of the book, rainbows of colors, superb half tone, full tone,
duotone, color hue, multi-variations of photos coloration of every
known color in the universe, rich and diverse fonts, headlines
stylings, eye-catching montage of texts and superposed art on large
pages, most unusual backgrounds flirting with bubbly and lively
scripts and cleverly retouched vintage photos transmute this book
into an oasis of photography splendors and a world-class book
design. Grosso modo, artistically, Doo Wop: The Music, The Times,
The Era is a gem. The book designers, David Perry and
Jason Cring delivered a first rate, 5 star design/layout rarely
witnessed, nowadays! They did a magnificent job!
Author and American radio
celebrity, Mr. Bruce Morrow, aka "Cousin Brucie."
The Content
On
page 19, “Cousin Brucie” Morrow stated: “Unlike an encyclopedia, a
music guide or a traditional account of history, this is a record of
emotions and experiences.” This statement is accurate to a certain
degree, because the book is more than a “record of emotions and
experiences”, for, it is a visual, illustrative, rich mini-thematic
and biographical encyclopedia of the most important cultural,
social, artistic, and musical times in America.
The
book does not exclusively retrace the multiple facets and aspects of
Doo Wop, as its title might suggest. Indeed, the book shed light on
the persona, the aura, the known and unknown, the nostalgia, the
origin of American music, important social-political events of the
era (McCarthy saga on page 51), fashion (Page 302), the civil rights
movement (Page 308), automat meals, Salisbury steak and carrots, and
America’s true beginning of fast food (Page 43), cars and Detroit
goes Rock ”N’ Roll, and how young Americans felt that “cruising
became a part of the American dream.”, Morrow wrote: “And cruise we
did, with high tailfins that made us look like a school of sharks
patrolling the boulevard.” (Page 126), America’s early child care
revolution (Page 46), the golden age of television (Page 48),
America’s early children’s television programs (Page 63), cartoons
and comics and the comic codes (Page 68), the sitcoms after World
War II (Page 72), America’s early days of TV dinners with gravy,
mashed potatoes and peas (Page 81, the authors referred to this
phenomenon as “TV Dinner; a star was born), most sparkling divas and
legends of the screen; Marilyn Monroe (Page 83); France’s great
Brigitte Bardot
(Page 212); Marlon Brando, the rebel and the wild one (Page
102); James Dean’s true personality and probing the reasons women
“fell head over heels for him” (Page 116), the delicate subject of
“color barrier” of the era and Alan Freed’s saga (Page 94), the
invention of broadcast television news with Edward R. Murrow (Page
111), the domination of America’s lifestyles of the masses and new
face of popular culture (Page 113), the nostalgic days of the
drive-in, and how true is what the authors wrote “What a thrill,
what a simple pleasure it was to go to a drive-in movie! The
experience brought together so many rare and cherished
opportunities: to be in the car, to be entertained, to have a
private place.” (Page 118), a feeling for American justice, strength
and honor comes to life on page 140, when the authors discussed the
Davy Crockett Craze…Even, Mattel’s Barbie Doll debut is in the book
(Page 193), and the race for space, and Russian Sputnik satellite is
flying on page 196. And to add an academico-scholastic touch to the
book, the authors included a Doo Wop Dictionary (Pages 327-331). And
needless to say, Bruce Morrow‘s list of Top 140 Groups was needed
and had to appear in the book (Pages 332-339).
Worth mentioning, the heart-felt introduction by the legendary Neil
Sedaka who acknowledged the enormous contributions of Mr. Bruce
Morrow to the world of music. Maestro Sedaka wrote: “…Brucie was
wholesome, honest and almost childlike in his enthusiasm for the
business…We eventually ended up living in the same apartment complex
on Ocean Parkway for a period, taking our kids to the rides at Coney
Island and for hot dogs at Nathan’s. In all my travels, one thing
remains true: No matter where you go, Brooklyn stays with you.” In
another paragraph, the great Neil Sedaka added: “I can think of no
better music industry icon to bring Doo Wop to life for readers of
this book than Cousin Bruce Morrow. He was there at the beginning as
an innovator, started many young artists on their careers, and to
this day is a consummate communicator.”
In 352 pages,
Morrow with the collaboration of Maloof brilliantly succeeded in
illustrating and candidly explaining the American psyche, culture,
music, trends, celebrities, lifestyles, social events and one
zillion aspects of what constituted the soul, fabric and essence
of America’s yesteryears. This is a fabulous book, rich in content
and art, abundant with facts, memorable stories, data, lists of
lists, illustrative history of the most cherished and nostalgic
American musical era, lessons to learn from, and above all the
message it conveys to contemporary generation. Doo Wop: The
Music, The Times, The Era is one of the 10 best books of the
year. Rating: 5 stars. Grab a copy. Perhaps two copies if you
have a good friend who deserves a lovely gift. You will treasure
this book for years to come.
Product
Description:
Doo Wop:
The Music, The Times, The Era. 352 pages, lavishly illustrated,
oversized format, 9 7/8 by 11 ½. Hardcover. Publication date: 1st
Edition, November 2007. Produced by Band-F Ltd. A Sterling
Publication (New York, London). ISBN: 978-1-4027-4276-7. Designed by
David Perry and Jason Cring. Foreword by Neil Sedaka. Introduction
by TJ Lubinsky. Price: $24.95
Reviewed by
Maximillien de Lafayette, author of the World Who’s Who in Jazz,
Cabaret, Music and Entertainment.
______________________________________________
IS BRITAIN LOOSING ITS JOIE DE VIVRE?
Britain is less happy than in the 1950s -
despite the fact that we are three times richer. The proportion
of people saying they are "very happy" has fallen from 52% in 1957
to just 36% today.
Happiness levels were
higher in post-war Britain.
The opinion poll by GfK NOP for The Happiness
Formula series provides the first evidence that Britain's happiness
levels are declining - a trend already well documented in the United
States. Polling data from Gallup throughout the 1950s shows
happiness levels above what they are today, suggesting that our
extra wealth has not brought extra well-being. It could even be
making matters worse. The British experience mirrors data from
America, where social scientists have seen levels of life
satisfaction gradually decline over the last quarter of a century.
In the early 1970s, 34% of those interviewed in the General Social
Survey described themselves as "very happy". By the late 1990s, the
figure was 30% - a small but statistically significant drop. The
story of wealth failing to translate into extra happiness is the
story of the Western world. In almost every developed country,
happiness levels have remained largely static over the past 50 years
- despite huge increases in income. What the happiness research
suggests is that once average incomes reach about £10,000 a year,
extra money does not make a country any happier.
How does Britain compare?
Our poll asked people how satisfied they were
with their lives as a whole using a one to 10 scale. The mean score
was 7.3 which puts the UK some way down the world rankings. One
recent table has Switzerland as the happiest country, followed by
Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the USA. Britain comes eighth. Many
different organisations, including the United Nations, have
attempted to compare the happiness rates of different countries.
Should politicians try to make us happier? In our opinion poll we
asked whether the government's prime objective should be the
"greatest happiness" or the "greatest wealth". A remarkable 81%
wanted happiness as the goal. Only 13% wanted greatest wealth.
Should schoolchildren be taught how to be happy? GfK NOP asked
people whether they thought schools should put more emphasis on
teaching students how to achieve a happy personal life and less on
educating them for the world of work. A majority - 52% agreed that
more emphasis should be placed on happiness - 43% disagreed.
Less friendly?
Our poll asked whether people felt their
neighbourhood was more or less friendly now than it was 10 years
ago. 43% said less friendly, compared to 22% of people who said it
was friendlier. So what makes us happy? Almost half of people - 48%
- say that relationships are the biggest factor in making them
happy. Second is health on 24%. When we asked people to choose the
two most important sources of happiness in their lives, out of 1001
people only 77 people said work fulfilment. According to the science
of happiness, friends are crucial to our well-being. Yet according
to our opinion poll, most of us speak to only a small number of
close friends every week. Six out of 10 people spoke to five friends
or fewer each week. Two out of 10 spoke to only one or two friends.
And one person in 25 talked to no friends at all.
Contentment
We also asked people to say, in their own words,
what happiness meant to them. According to analysis by Ilona
Boniwell, a psychologist at Oxford Brookes University, most people's
definition involved family and friends. But the results threw up a
surprise. The second largest group of responses centred around
contentment and inner peace. It does appear that many people's
happiness is about escaping the stress and pace of modern life. It
has been suggested that rising levels of stress and depression may
indicate that Britain is becoming more unhappy. However, it is not
clear whether clinical diagnoses reflect a real fall in happiness or
a greater willingness to seek help for psychological problems.
Research throughout the world suggests that most people are slightly
to moderately happy, and only a few people say they are unhappy. The
Happiness Formula poll found that 92% of people described themselves
as either fairly happy or very happy. Only 8% said they were fairly
unhappy or very unhappy. Professor Ed Diener, a leading psychologist
based at the University of Illinois, said: "The idea that modern
society is a sink of unhappiness seems wrong". However, average
happiness scores do appear to be static or falling.
Happy together
Nearly half of married people told us they are
"very happy". Only a quarter of singles said the same. Researchers
believe the key factor is the promise to stay together. Is happiness
linked to health? GfK NOP asked people how they would describe their
state of health. Among those who described themselves as "very
happy", 45% said they had "very good" health. Among those only
"fairly happy" 23% said they had "very good" health. Our opinion
poll asked whether people would take a legally available drug that
made them happy if there were no side-effects. Nearly three out of
four, 72%, of people said no and 26% said yes. -Mark Eatlon.
Madonna's giant cross 'offensive'
Madonna's Confessions
tour is expected to make $190m (£101m).
The Church of England has criticised Madonna's
appearance on a cross to kick off her latest tour in Los Angeles.
Why would someone with so much talent seem to feel the need to
promote herself by offending so many people?" said the church in a
statement. Madonna performed the ballad Live To Tell while suspended
from a giant mirrored cross on the opening night. David Muir of the
Evangelical Alliance also accused the singer of "blatant
insensitivity".
"Madonna's use of Christian imagery is an abuse and it
is dangerous," he said. "She should drop it from the tour and people
need to find their own means of expressing their disapproval."
Madonna's spokesperson was not available for comment at the time of
publication. This is not the first time the pop star's concerts have
upset the Church. In 1990, the Pope called for a boycott of the
Blond Ambition tour, in which Madonna simulated masturbation during
Like A Virgin. The video for Like A Prayer also brought condemnation
from the Vatican for its burning crosses and depiction of a black
Jesus.
__________________________________________________________________________
 Ariana
Attie Honoured
by Nigel Huntington
LONDON-
The Federation of American Musicians, Singers and Performing Artists
(FAMSPA) announced today in New York City, that California-based
singer and songwriter extraordinaire, Ariana Attie has been
recognized by FAMSPA as one of the most accomplished and talented
artists in the business. Her recently released album "INSPIRE" has
been officially added to the official list of the 2,500 best Albums
and CDs of all time, compiled by FAMSPA. Her bio tell us that
Ms Attie practically came out of the womb singing.
Fast forward to her first career while in high school as a designer
of watches and jewelry. Then she began designing costumes for a
burgeoning Los Angeles ballet company.
 Cover
of Attie's Album "Inspire."
Fresh out of school she began what became a
successful career as a fashion designer. (She had no idea yet that
she was going to become a musician.) Opening her own menswear
business with her partner, singer Lou Rawls, she quickly won a
National Design award for her creations. Her work and interviews
appeared in the Calendar and View sections of the L.A. Times and
Newsweek Magazine, as well as in the major fashion trade magazines.
International critic and author, Maximillien de Lafayette
wrote: "
Inspire is a most unusual musical-vocal product difficult to
categorize. It is a rainbow of an absolute vocal beauty and
virtuosity blended with free form musical innovation. Attie’s voice is out of
this world; superb and exquisite at so many levels."
______________________________________________
NEW BOOK
" Miss
Glamora Tudor" Splendid from cover to cover
When I
was requested to review Miss Glamora Tudor! I was not
entirely surprised. The whole world knows (or should know) that
Nigel Huntington reads manly books; Hemingway comes to mind. But
to tell the truth, I do have a weakness for a few female authors,
and Angela Thirkell is one of them. Her story is well known – she
took the Barsetshire novels of Trollope, mixed in a few others,
and wrote about the descendents of the characters. The time frame
is the 1930s to the 1960s. Her last book was completed by a
friend, but until now, no one ever dared to write a full length
sequel to her books. The author of Miss Glamora Tudor!,
Ilil Arbel, lives in New York and is certainly not from the United
Kingdom, but behold a miracle! Despite these facts she can use our
language! She elegantly weaves her way between the speech of the
upper classes, the lower classes, and the Americans that appear in
the book, with great style and seemingly with ease. Truth is, she
sounds exactly like Angela Thirkell, not an easy task.
Of course
it would be nice if you read the Thirkell books, but it is not
essential. Miss Glamora Tudor! stands on its own, and can be
enjoyed by even those who had never opened a Trollope or a Thirkell
book. The plot is fascinating, the action is fast, and the
characters are completely believable, three-dimensional and so very
Thirkellian. There are twists and turns and surprises, and there is
a promise for the future that makes me almost certain that Arbel
plans to write more Barsetshire books. She ties the loose ends all
right, but there are one or two hints and openings that simply
scream for additional books, particularly about the minor characters
that could be developed into major ones in future books, the way
Thirkell always worked. And then meeting Glamora! Thirkell was just
teasing us with a new film starring Glamora Tudor and her new
leading man in each book, never allowing her on stage. But here is
the goddess, made into flesh and blood, complete with perfect legs
and violet eyes! It’s enough to make a strong man shed a gentle
tear. And I finally know how Glamora got her incredible name! Arbel
reveals the secret, and that alone would make the book worth
reading.
Often,
sequels written by people other than the original author simply do
not succeed. One can only point (with a sigh) to the horror of most
of the sequels to Jane Austen’s novels, or to the fiasco of the
sequel to Gone with the Wind. But Miss Glamora Tudor!
is a huge success. Fresh, full of life, it brings Barsetshire and
its people back to us and opens a new door. I say, Miss Arbel, if
Angela Thirkell (and her alter ego, Mrs. Morland, which you have
brought back so perfectly) could write a book each year, so can you.
And you have a computer at your disposal, which they did not, so you
can work fast. So no whining, please, and get to work!
The Best and Worst People of our Time in a new book: World Lists of
Best and Worst.
 A
most unusual book on world's celebrities, stars and politicians is
making a big buzz: World List of Best and Worst. Are you lists
fanatic? If so, that's the book you got to have. It is full of
hilarious, colorful, controversial and captivating lists and names
of headliners, shakers and bakers, politicians you love to hate,
scandalous stars and stuff beyond your imagination. What an
incredible work! I collect books on lists. They excite my curiosity.
But this book is THE ONE! the ultimate published work in the genre.
Everybody who is somebody is gossiping about it. Some are
delighted because they are in the book. Many others are furious
because they were left out. You can't please them all. Names and
lists are abundant. But the funniest part of the book is the section
dealing with the best pick up joints, places where you can do big
time business without money and WITHOUT TRYING, names of men and
women who are screwing you up, and the biggest scandals and most
stupid quotes of stars. Nobody is sparred; Bush, Clinton, Elvis,
Eminem, Britney Spears, Andre Rieu, Bill O'Reily, Monica Crowley,
Hillary Clinton, Jazz greats, Aguilera, Angelina Jolie all are in.
Cover of volume two of "The
Ultimate Book of World List."
The book became a hit
overnight. So the wizards at Amazon and Times Square Press followed
up the book with two new volumes, each 740 pages. In volume two,
1,000 new names are added in lists covering every possible areas
ranging from NYU and Yale faculty to the most hated people in
America. And from the most scandalous politicians, their lovers and
shady deals to the brightest minds. This include Noble Prize
winners, The White House powerful figures, media gossipy columnists
and famous figures like Jay Leno, David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey,
Martha Stewart, and the presidential candidates. The author,
fearing no beast and no man said what he
really think about those big shots who are shaping your life day and
by day. In other words, if you love lists, don't go further, buy
this set. It is hilarious! The books are sold and distributed by amazon.com
READ THE SECTION ON NEWSMAKERS
NEWSMAKERS:
SCORSESE GETS DOCUMENTARY HONOUR...A
RABBI FROM THE UNITED STATES MAKES HEADLINES: MOSHE WIENER REVERED AS
HUMANITARIAN AND MAN OF THE YEAR...PRINCES WILLIAM AND HARRY KEEP PRINCE CHARLES
"IN TOUCH WITH WHAT'S GOING ON"...ENGLAND'S
ROYAL MAIL PENSIONS "MURKY"! JOWELL HOME ON SALE FOR £950,000.
ANOTHER AMERICAN DIVA TO CROWN THE COVER OF A
WORLD WHO'S WHO
The stunning American composer and singer
Suzanne Grzanna on the cover of Volume VI of World Who's Who in Jazz, Cabaret,
Music and Entertainment, Published by the Federation of American Musicians,
Singers and Performing Artists (FAMSPA).
It seems that only American stars and divas
can monopolise the glossy covers of books, encyclopedias and reference manuals.
Wisconsin-based, (USA) songwriter and singer Suzanne Grzanna has been
chosen as the cover girl of the volume VI of the World Who's Who in Jazz,
Cabaret, Music and Entertainment authored by Maximillien de Lafayette, who has
to his credits 3 international bestsellers.
 Diva
Suzanne Grzanna.
Ms Grzanna is a highly respected songwriter
and traditional Jazz performer who combines the flair of a vanished era and the
explosive tempo of contempo entertainment. Carol Lexter, an
associate editor of the Who's Who told the media in
New York City: "We
were looking for a talent who blends the glory and nostalgia of the past with
contemporary and fresh breeze of today's genre...in other words, an artist who
brings to the table, solid traditional musical heritage and innovative modern
style. Suzanne Grzanna fits the bill. She is accomplished at so many levels; she
is a composer, a singer, a writer, a producer and a pioneer. Besides, she is
stunning! Yep! Looks help too. So, she is the one!" List of stars who glittered
on the covers of previous volumes includes Marlene VerPlanck, Carol Welsman,
winner of the National Jazz Award of Canada, Erika Luckett who won the Award of
Best International Singer, the legendary Jill Corey who appeared on the cover of
Life Magazine in 1960, and California queen of musical comedy extravaganza,
Peggy Judy, a songwriter, author, actress and singer extraordinaire.
 Singer
and author, Peggy Judy, aka queen of Martini Opera and comedy extravaganza! Ms
Judy is the artistic alias of Molly Brandenburg, a noted author,
cartoonist and performer in the United States. Ms Judy graced the cover of
Volume V of the World Who's Who.
In "real" life, Peggy Judy is also a
cartoonist. Here she is at the 2007 New York City Book Expo, unveiling her new
book of cartoons, EVERYDAY CAT EXCUSES.
The title of
volume VI is: "Entertainment Greats From the 1800's to the Present: Cinema,
Music, Divas, Legends." A massive compendium with strong emphasis on
the golden era of American showbiz and Jazz greats.
____________________________________________________
ARCHIVES: Spain honours director Almodovar
Pedro Almodovar has
directed 15 feature films.
Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar has won
his country's prestigious Asturias Prize for art. The
director, whose films include Women On The Verge Of A Nervous
Breakdown and All About My Mother, said he was "overwhelmed" by the
honour. The annual prize is awarded in eight categories, including
arts, science and international cooperation. Almodovar's latest
film, Volver, which stars Penelope Cruz, is in competition at the
Cannes Film Festival.
He is often described as a "women's director" because
many of his films have revolved around strong, sympathetic female
characters.
Ingenuity and sincerity: The jury for the
Asturias Prize said they had chosen Almodovar "for the ingenuity and
sincerity of his films and the zest and vivacity of his
screenplays". "It's one of the most important prizes I've ever
received," said the director. The award, which will be presented by
Spain's Crown Prince Felipe later this year, carries a cash prize of
50,000 euros ($61,000) and a sculpture by Catalan artist Joan Miro.
Previous winners include Woody Allen, Arthur Miller and Nelson
Mandela. Almodovar was born in the town of Calzada de Calatrava in
1951. He moved to Madrid at the age of 16, working in a flea market
while he saved to buy a Super 8 camera. In the 1970s he made several
short films, mainly sex comedies, as well as writing the fictional
diary of a porn star and singing in a rock group. Almodovar's first
full-length feature was 1980's Pepi, Luci, Bom, but he did not make
an impact on the international scene until 1988's colourful farce
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. Oscar voters have
honoured Almodovar twice, awarding him best foreign film for All
About My Mother 2000, and best original screenplay for Talk To Her
two years later.
Millions flock to Da Vinci Code
The film received its
world premiere in Cannes last week.
The Da Vinci Code movie took $224m (£119m) at
box offices around the world at the weekend despite controversy and
bad reviews, its distributor has said. That is the second most
successful film opening in history, Columbia said. It could not beat
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which made $253m (£135m) in its
first weekend last year. Many critics were disappointed with The Da
Vinci Code film, while Catholic groups around the world have
protested against its portrayal of the church.
In the US and Canada, it sold tickets worth about $77m
(£41m) between Friday and Sunday, Columbia Pictures said - putting
its performance the high end of industry expectations.
Protesters also
gathered outside a cinema in Los Angeles.
But that was still some way behind the North
American record for a debut weekend, which is held by the $115m
(£61m) Spider-Man 2 earned in 2002. Outside the US and Canada,
though, The Da Vinci Code will have broken the record for ticket
sales if the figures are verified, making $147m (£78m) in three
days. The previous best was the $145m (£77m) that fans outside North
America spent on Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Based on Dan
Brown's novel, which has sold more than 40 million copies around the
world, the movie stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Sir Ian McKellen.
The thriller is based around the theory that Jesus married Mary
Magdalene and their descendents survive today - which, according to
the plot, the Catholic church covered up. But the storyline has
offended many, with church figures in places from the Vatican to
Moldova denouncing it.
The film drew big
crowds in China.
In Rome, members of an ultra-Catholic group,
Christian Militants, picketed some cinemas, chanting: "Dan Brown
remember you will also be judged by Christ". Scuffles broke out as
two Italian local councillors burned the book in the main square of
the village of Ceccano, 70 km (43 miles) south-east of Rome, on
Saturday. On Friday, the American Society for the Defense of
Tradition, Family and Property, took out a full-page newspaper
advert calling for prayer vigils outside at least 1,000 cinemas. In
India, censors demanded a disclaimer to say the film is "a work of
pure fiction" - leading the film company to postpone its release
indefinitely.
Italian councillor
Stefano Gizzi burnt a copy of the book.
China's state-backed Roman Catholic Church is
urging its members to boycott the film, while Thai censors want to
cut the last 10 minutes because they are "blasphemous". But director
Ron Howard has said: "This is supposed to be entertainment. It is
not theology. It should not be misunderstood as such." He has also
called the poor reviews "frustrating" and "disappointing". The film
is a "stodgy, grim thing", industry bible Variety said, while the
Hollywood Reporter bemoaned its "stiff, unappealing performances".
In the UK, the Guardian newspaper said it was a "two-dimensional
thriller which, for an awful lot of the time, neglected to thrill".
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