Bafta Film Awards 2008 Nominations

Here are the nominations in full for this year's Bafta Film Awards 2008, to be held on 10 February at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.

Best film
American Gangster
Atonement
The Lives of Others
No Country Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best British film
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Scott
Control
Eastern Promises
This Is England

Leading actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muehe - The Lives of Others

Leading actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Ellen Page - Juno

Supporting actor
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano - There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Supporting actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Kelly Macdonald - No Country for Old Men
Samantha Morton - Control
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Director
Atonement - Joe Wright
The Bourne Ultimatum - Paul Greengrass
The Lives of Others - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
No Country For Old Men - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay
American Gangster - Steven Zaillian
Juno - Diablo Cody
The Lives of Others - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
This is England - Shane Meadows

Adapted screenplay
Atonement - Christopher Hampton
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Ronald Harwood
The Kite Runner - David Benioff
No Country for Old Men - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson

Film not in the English language
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
La Vie En Rose

Animated film
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie

The Carl Foreman award for special achievement by a british director, writer or producer for their first feature film
Chris Atkins (director/writer) - Taking Liberties
Mia Bays (producer) - Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Sarah Gavron (director) - Brick Lane
Matt Greenhalgh (writer) - Control
Andrew Piddington (director/writer) - The Killing of John Lennon

Music
American Gangster - Marc Streitenfeld
Atonement - Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner - Alberto Iglesias
There Will Be Blood - Jonny Greenwood
La Vie En Rose - Christopher Gunning

Cinematography
American gangster - Harris Savides
Atonement - Seamus McGarvey
The Bourne Ultimatum - Oliver Wood
No Country For Old Men - Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood - Robert Elswit

Editing
American Gangster - Pietro Scalia
Atonement - Paul Tothill
The Bourne Ultimatum - Christopher Rouse
Michael Clayton - John Gilroy
No Country For Old Men - Roderick Jaynes

Production design
Atonement - Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Guy Hendrix Dyas, Richard Roberts
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix - Stuart Craig, Stephanie McMillan
There Will Be Blood - Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson
La Vie En Rose - Olivier Raoux

Costume design
Atonement - Jacqueline Durran
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Alexandra Byrne
Lust, Caution - Pan Lai
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Colleen Atwood
La Vie En Rose - Marit Allen

Sound
Atonement - Danny Hambrook, Paul Hamblin, Catherine Hodgson
The Bourne Ultimatum - Kirk Francis, Scott Millan, Dave Parke, Karen Baker Landers, Per Hallberg
No Country For Old Men - Peter Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff
There Will Be Blood - Christopher Scarabosio, Matthew Wood, John Pritchett, Michael Semanick, Tom Johnson
La Vie En Rose - Laurent Zeilig, Pascal Villard, Jean-Paul Hurier, Marc Doisne

Special visual effects
The Bourne Ultimatum - Peter Chiang, Charlie Noble, Mattias Lindahl, Joss Williams
The Golden Compass - Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, Trevor Woods
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Tim Burke, John Richardson, Emma Norton, Chris Shaw
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End - John Knoll, Charles Gibson, Hal Hickel, John Frazier
Spider-Man 3 - Scott Stokdyk, Peter Nofz, Kee-Suk Ken Hahn, Spencer Cook

Make-up and hair
Atonement - Ivana Primorac
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Jenny Shircore
Hairspray - nominees to be confirmed
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Ivana Primorac
La Vie En Rose - Jan Archibald, Didier Lavergne

Short animation
The Pearce Sisters - Jo Allen, Luis Cook
Head Over Heels - Osbert Parker, Fiona Pitkin, Ian Gouldstone
The Crumblegiant - Pearse Moore, John McCloskey

Short film
Dog Altogether - Diarmid Scrimshaw, Paddy Considine
Hesitation - Julien Berlan, Michelle Eastwood, Virginia Gilbert
The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island - Charlie Henderson, James Griffiths, Tim Key, Tom Basden
Soft - Jane Hooks, Simon Ellis
The Stronger - Dan McCulloch, Lia Williams, Frank McGuinness

The Orange rising star award (voted for by the public)
Shia LaBeouf
Sienna Miller
Ellen Page
Sam Riley
Tang Wei

SRK - A film on Shah Rukh Khan?

While the grapevine went into a frenzy with talks of Karan Johar's next directorial venture, KHAN / MY NAME IS KHAN, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, being based on SRK's life, Karan on his part has laughed off the speculations. But here is something interesting on the same lines.

Unbelievable as it may sound, but one production house has sought the registration of the title SRK, for its forthcoming venture! Pro-Motion Picture Pvt. Ltd. has applied to the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) for registration of SRK in both, Hindi and English.

One presumes the abbreviation SRK stands for Bollywood's global superstar, Shah Rukh Khan!

UFOs Sighted Around The World

UFO sighting reports are coming in at this time from around the world in exceptional numbers and at a very high level of strangeness. Apparently similar "drifting light" UFOs have been observed in Finland and Iraq, and there was a multiple witness sighting of a more standard type of UFO in Texas a few days ago. Linda Moulton Howe is now working on odd spirals appearing in the sky in Canada, Iraq and Germany, and on the Texas case, and will be reporting on Dreamland as the stories unfold.

On September 3, 2007, a strange UFO that appeared as a slowly drifting vertical light in the sky appeared and was videotaped over Finland, and now an oddly similar phenomenon has been videotaped over Iraq by US soldiers on patrol.

Around 25 people recently saw a UFO in the rural town of Stephenville, Texas, which is about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The witnesses included a pilot, a lawman and several businessmen.

Reporter Angela K. Brown quotes one witness as describing the UFO "as a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast." Another witness describes seeing "red glowing lights and then white flashing lights moving fast." A reward has been offered for a photo or video of the object.

Brown quotes Stephenville resident Ricky Sorrells, who described the object as "very large and without seams, nuts or bolts."

These sightings come at an extraordinary time for UFO sightings around the world, with extensive video being recorded in Canada, the US, and especially the UK. While it is now difficult to gauge the intensity of a UFO flap due to the lack of centralized reporting facilities outside of the US, news reports from around the world suggest that we are experiencing an unusually intense UFO flap at this time.

One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.

About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate.

Fourteen percent of Americans polled last year by The Associated Press and Ipsos say they have seen a UFO.

Clinton, Obama Vow to Bury Race Debate

LAS VEGAS - Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama blamed aides and campaign surrogates Tuesday night for fueling a campaign controversy over race, jointly pledging on the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. to put the matter behind them.

At a debate in which the two sparred almost cordially, Obama suggested Clinton had taken a page from President Bush's political playbook with an earlier statement that the next president could expect to be tested quickly by terrorists.

"When Senator Clinton uses the specter of a terrorist attack with a new prime minister during a campaign, I think that is part and parcel with what we've seen, the use of the fear of terrorism in scoring political points, and I think that's a mistake," he said.

Asked by NBC's Tim Russert whether she had meant to say terrorists would test Obama more than her, she replied, "No, of course not," before adding, "it matters who's president."

Clinton, Obama and former Sen. John Edwards, the only white man among the candidates on stage, settled in for their debate as the former first lady won a meaningless Michigan presidential primary, a contest held in violation of party rules.

The debate also unfolded four days before the party-sanctioned Nevada caucuses, the next for-keeps contest in the wide-open race for the party's presidential nomination.

Race dominated the debate at the outset, after several days of back-and-forth that left many Democrats worried about an adverse impact on the party's prospects for the general election.

Obama said "not only in hindsight, but going forward," he regretted that his staff had prodded reporters to pursue the issue.

"Our supporters, our staff, get overzealous. They start saying things that I would not say," added the most viable black candidate in history.

"We both have exuberant and sometimes uncontrollable supporters," Clinton said in the opening moments of a two-hour, round-table debate televised on MSNBC. "We need to get this campaign where it should be," said the former first lady, seeking to become the first woman to occupy the White House.

She said comments by black businessman Robert Johnson over the weekend were inappropriate, but sidestepped when asked whether she would bar him from playing a role in her campaign. Johnson made an evident reference to Obama's youthful drug use — although he denied that was his intent.

Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses less than two weeks ago, and Clinton countered with an upset victory last Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary. Edwards is winless. After Nevada, the South Carolina Democratic primary is Jan. 26, then the campaign explodes with nearly two dozen contests on Feb. 5.

There was a political reason for the pleasantries, underscored when Edwards was asked whether he and Obama had teamed up to attack Clinton in a debate just before the New Hampshire primary.

"I don't think it was that way," he said. "My job as a candidate for president is to speak the truth as I see it."

Clinton won the primary in an upset three days after the debate, carried to victory over Obama by an unexpectedly large turnout by women voters.

At the same time, there were limits to the comraderie, and Clinton, in particular, took several opportunities to challenge her rivals.

Asked whether Edwards and Obama were prepared to sit in the White House, she said "that's what the voters have to decide."

Later, Clinton asked Obama to back her legislation to prevent Bush from unilaterally extending the United States' presence in Iraq beyond the end of his term next January.

"I think we can work on this, Hillary," he replied.

On an issue of particular interest in Nevada, the former first lady stressed her opposition to a plan to develop a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in the state. She said Obama's campaign drew financial support from a company that favors the project, and in a rare campaign jab at Edwards, said he had twice voted for it.

Obama countered, saying that even though his home state of Illinois has more nuclear power plants than any other, his opposition to the controversial project was unequivocal.

Edwards said he had changed his mind on the issue, citing new scientific evidence about its risks.

Edwards, given a chance to question his rivals, pointed out the huge sums that Clinton and Obama have raised from drug and insurance companies. "Do you think these people expect something or are they just interested in good government?" he asked.

Obama quickly replied that he did not accept donations from federal lobbyists or political action committees, and Edwards just as quickly pointed out that applied to him as well.

All three also agreed they would not seek creation of a national gun registry, a shift in position for Clinton.

The Michigan primary was an election in name only, where Clinton was the only major candidate entered. She faced competition principally from the "uncommitted" line on the ballot, an option that some supporters of Edwards and Obama advocated to embarrass her.

Returns from 87 percent of the state's precincts showed her with 56 percent of the vote, and uncommitted gaining about 39 percent.

Pre-caucus polls in Nevada make it a close race among the three, an event spiced by a lawsuit filed by several Clinton supporters hoping to challenge the ground rules.

Their objective was to prevent several caucuses along the Las Vegas Strip, where thousands of Culinary Workers Union employees — many of them Hispanic or black — hold jobs.

The rules were approved in May, when Clinton was the overwhelming national front-runner in the race. But the union voted to endorse Obama last week, and the lawsuit followed.

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich had hoped to have a seat at the table, but the Nevada Supreme Court ruled shortly before the debate began that MSNBC was legally entitled to prevent him from participating. It promptly did.

Source: Yahoo News

Tom Cruise Indoctrination Scientology Video

Click To See Video On Gawker.com

You have to watch this video. It shows Tom Cruise, with all the wide-eyed fervor that he brings to the promotion of a movie, making the argument for Scientology, the bizarre 20th-century religion. Making the argument is an understatement. The Hollywood actor, star of movies such as Mission Impossible, is a complete fanatic. "When you're a Scientologist, and you drive by an accident, you know you have to do something about it, because you know you're the only one who can really help... We are the way to happiness. We can bring peace and unite cultures." There's much much more. Let me put it this way: if Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch was an 8 on the scale of scary, this is a 10.

This video's been passed around privately by reporters and writers investigating Cruise's ties with Scientology. Most reporters have been wary of taking on the Scientologists, because they have a history of both litigation, and the harassment of critics. The publication of Andrew Morton's biography of Tom Cruise, which claims he is the second most powerful person in the cult, has seems to have opened the floodgates. Several indoctrination videos were available on Google Video, on Sunday, and showcased on Gawker, before being removed by the person who had originally posted them. Yesterday, for a few hours, the clip of Tom Cruise discussing his beliefs as a Scientologist appeared on Youtube, and was republished by Radar and Defamer. That video is no longer available, most likely after the Church of Scientology sent in a copyright infringement notice. Gawker is now hosting a copy of the video; it's newsworthy; and we will not be removing it.

American Idol Winners : Did They All Find Success?

Have you been keeping up with the many accomplishments of American Idol winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Hicks? Find out what the American Idol winners are doing now!

American Idol Winners

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson will go down in history as the first winner of American Idol. But that's not the accomplishment that has defined this singer's amazing career.

• Kelly's first single, "A Moment Like This," set a record when it went from number 52 to number one on the Billboard singles chart in one week.

• Kelly Clarkson's first album, Thankful, debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart, selling 297,000 copies in its first week. It was certified double platinum.
• Kelly recorded songs for the soundtracks of movies including Love Actually.

• Her second album, Breakaway, went five times platinum by 2006. The album boasted hit singles including "Since You've Been Gone," and "Breakaway."

• Kelly won countless awards, including Grammy awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.
• Kelly's videos have been well-received on MTV, often reaching number one on the network's TRL video countdown.

Did you know?

• Kelly was 20 years old when she tried out for Idol.
• Kelly is from Burleson, Texas.
• Before Idol, Kelly worked as a cocktail waitress.

Ruben Studdard

Ruben Studdard was dubbed the Velvet Teddy Bear during season two of American Idol. But was he smooth enough to launch a successful music career after Idol?

• Ruben's first album, Soulful, debut at number one on the Billboard album chart, selling 400,000 copies.

• The album's first single, "Sorry for 2004," peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

• When the album hit stores, critics were buzzing about the fact that Clay Aiken, the singer Ruben beat on American Idol, was selling more records than the Velvet Teddy Bear.

• Ruben was nominated for his first Grammy in 2003, for his vocal performance of the song "Superstar."

• Ruben released a Gospel album in 2004. It sold 96,000 copies in its first week. That number was good enough to send it to number one on the Gospel charts.

• According to his website, Ruben has sold more than 2 million albums in the United States.

• Ruben released the R&B album The Return is Fall, 2006. That album peaked at number 8 on the Billboard album chart.

• In his personal life, Ruben has become a vegetarian. The overweight star has also taken steps to lose weight.

Did you know?

• Ruben was 25 years old when he tried out for American Idol.

• He is from Birmingham, Alabama.

• Ruben was a voice major at Alabama A&M University.

Fantasia Barrino

Season three winner Fantasia Barrino was a young, struggling single mom when she tried out for American Idol. How has her life changed?

• Fantasia's first single "I Believe" debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. According to Billboard, she was the first new artist in history to debut a single at number one.

• Fantasia's first album, Free Yourself, peaked at number three on The Billboard Charts. The album included singles such as Baby Mama, which only made it number 60 on the Hot 100 singles chart.

• In 2005, Fantasia released the book, Life Is Not a Fairytale, which revealed Fantasia's struggles as a single teen mother and high school dropout. She also revealed that she was functional illiterate.

• In 2006, Fantasia starred in a TV movie based on Life Is Not a Fairytale.

• Fantasia released her second, self-titled album in December, 2006. It received praise from critics, but debuted at number 19 on the Billboard album chart.

Did you know?

• Fantasia is from High Point, North Carolina.
• Fantasia as 19 years old when she tried out for American Idol
• Fantasia has a daughter named Zion.

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood was the first American Idol winner to release a country album. Did country music fans welcome her with open arms?

• Carrie's first song, "Inside Your Heaven," debuted as the best-selling song in the country. 170,000 copies were sold during the single's first week in stores.

• Carrie's first album, which included the singles "Jesus Take The Wheel" and "Some Hearts," has gone five times platinum.

• Carrie landed advertising deals with Hershey's and Sketchers after winning on Idol.

• Carrie won the best female vocalist award at the 2006 CMA Awards, beating artists including Faith Hill.

• Her other honors include winning the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at the 2006 American Music Awards.

• Carrie was selected was one of People magazine's Most Beautiful People of 2006.

• In a PETA poll, she was voted the world's sexiest vegetarian.

• Carrie completed her college degree after winning Idol.

Did you know?

• Carrie was 21 years old when she tried out for American Idol.

• Carrie is from the small town Checotah, OK.

• Carrie plays guitar and piano.

Taylor Hicks

Who would have thought silver-haired Soul Patroler Taylor Hicks would win American Idol? Did he succeed though he didn't seem to fit in with today's pop stars?

• Since winning American Idol, Taylor has made countless appearances around the country and on popular TV shows.

• People magazine named Taylor America's Most Eligible Bachelor in 2006.

• Meanwhile, Taylor's American Idol single "Do I Make You Proud" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

• But "Takin' It To The Streets," which would be the first single from his debut album, peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

• Despite the poor sales of his first single, Taylor's self-titled album debut at number two on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 298,000 copies. But by it's fourth week on the charts, the album had dropped to number 47.

• Fans took notice that Chris Daughtry, who finished fifth on American Idol, was outselling Taylor.

• Taylor was set to kick off a nationwide tour in Winter, 2007.

Did You Know?

• Taylor was 29 years old when he tried out for American Idol.
• Taylor is from Birmingham, Alabama.
• Taylor performed in nightclubs and small venues before auditioning for Idol.
• Taylor flew to Las Vegas to audition for American Idol.

US version of 'Top Gear' planned

LOS ANGELES - The popular BBC car show Top Gear is revving up a US edition.

NBC has ordered a pilot for Gear, which will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (January 19-27). Casting is under way for hosts. As with the BBC version, it will offer a mix of cars, humor and celebrities.

The pilot will be filmed at a secret location around Los Angeles equipped with a race track and hangar where the show will be filmed in front of a audience.

NBC reality chief Craig Plestis said the network already is getting numerous inquiries from car companies that had heard rumblings about a US remake.

"This is a favorite of all automobile companies as it shows their cars in such a great light," he said.

Top Gear, which airs on BBC 2, originally launched in 1977 but has gained wider popularity since its relaunch in 2002.

Among Gear's popular segments that will be replicated in the US are races where the hosts have to reach a destination using different modes of transportation, road tests, challenges like converting and refurbishing existing cars into anything from a stretch limo to an amphibian and celebrities racing a midsize car. (American Idol's Simon Cowell holds the record for fastest lap time with a Chevrolet Lacetti.)

The UK show is hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May and also features the Stig, a masked test driver. The US version also will feature a quartet of presenters, including a secret test driver.

The BBC originally mulled doing an American version with the original British hosts, but the idea fell through in the summer, mostly over Clarkson's unwillingness to spend extended periods of time away from his family as well as the show's growing ratings success in Britain.

In September 2006, Hammond was seriously injured while taping a test run with a jet-propelled drag-racing car. The episode featuring footage of the crash opened the show's highest-rated season to date, with the season finale drawing BBC 2's biggest ratings in a decade.

Australian multicultural broadcaster SBS recently bought the rights to produce a local version of Top Gear.

In addition to the show, the British "Gear" franchise includes a popular companion car-themed website as well as Top Gear magazine.

- REUTERS

Pak Bread Soldiers are Stronger than US Chocolate Soldiers: President Musharraf

WASHINGTON: President Pervez Musharraf, in a US magazine interview, has said late PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto was very unpopular with the military.

In a wide-ranging interview with Newsweek published online, he said someone who the religious lobby thought was “an unreligious person” and who was seen as a US ally, could not have been the right person to fight terrorists.

‘Militants want to take over Pakistan’: He said Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism were working in case of the Taliban, and the country was now dealing with local extremists, mostly from South Punjab, and foreigners. Baitullah Mehsood was training suicide bombers targeting political leaders. The president said militants were turning against Pakistan because they were against him. “They are against anyone who is supporting me. So therefore, they want to weaken the government, they want to weaken me. [Perhaps] they think they can take over Pakistan.”

The president said tribal agreements did not solve the problem in FATA, but insisted that negotiations must continue.

‘Pakistani troops can do better in FATA’: He said if the US undertook a unilateral operation inside Pakistan, they would “curse the day they came here”.

“I know these areas, and I know American troops. I know our troops. This is not easy.”

He said Pakistani troops were tougher and could go on roti (bread) and water, while the US troops would need chocolate. “We are totally in cooperation on the intelligence side,” he said. “But we are totally against (a military operation). We will ask for assistance from outsiders. They won’t impose their will on us.”

‘Benazir’s body should be exhumed’: The president called for the body of late Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairwoman Benazir Bhutto to be exhumed, as he rejected charges that the government was complicit in her assassination.

“Yes, exhume it. A hundred percent. I would like it to be exhumed,” he said. “Because I know for sure there is no bullet wound other than on the right side.” But he ruled out ordering a post-mortem without the agreement of Bhutto’s family. “It would have very big political ramifications.”

He said Bhutto’s supporters had not agreed to a post-mortem “because they know it’s a fact there is nothing wrong.”

“Everybody is trying to gain political advantage; the entire opposition is trying to take political advantage,” he said. He said the superintendent of police who was in charge of her security was “her own handpicked”.

Bhutto was told about intelligence reports of a possible attack, he said.

UN probe: “There cannot be a UN investigation,” Musharraf told Newsweek. “There are not two or three countries involved. Why should there be a UN investigation? This is ridiculous.” The president said he was ready to work with the PPP if they won the February general elections. “I can work with anyone,” he said. (agencies)

Soha Ali Khan Sizzling Scans from HiBlitz Jan 2008

Soha Ali Khan is the daughter of Bollywood actress, Sharmila Tagore, who is also the Chair of the Indian Censor Board and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. She is also the sister of Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan.

Soha made her acting debut with the Bollywood production Dil Maange More (2004), where she shared credits with Shahid Kapoor and two other leading ladies.She has since received critical acclaim for her performances in the Bengali film Antar Mahal (2005), Rang De Basanti (2006)and Khoya Khoya Chand (2007).

Check out charming Scans of beauty babe Soha Ali Khan from HiBlitz January 2008.

Brad Renfro Dies at 25

Actor Brad Renfro has died at age 25, PEOPLE has confirmed.

Renfro died Tuesday at a Los Angeles apartment where he spent the night with friends, Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles county coroner, tells PEOPLE.

Renfro was heard snoring overnight, but found not breathing later Tuesday morning, and the friends called 911. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene at about 9 a.m., Harvey says.

A cause of death was not immediately determined, but Renfro had a history of drug problems.

Drug overdose is a "possibility considering his history, but right now all we have is the history of his drinking the previous night," Harvey says. "All that we have is that he was last known to be alive during the morning hours and he was snoring."

The actor, who starred in The Client and Apt Pupil, had recently completed a movie with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton.

Film director Joel Schumacher discovered Renfro at age 12 and cast him in the 1994 John Grisham movie The Client (which also starred Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones). The following year, PEOPLE named the young screen hopeful one of its "Top 30 Under 30." The actor's other credits include Tom and Huck, Ghost World and Deuces Wild.

But Renfro had a troubled life off-screen, going back to 1997 when he was sentenced to two years of probation after he tried to steal a yacht.

In 2005, Renfro was busted again, this time in a police sting in which he was charged with a felony count of attempting to possess heroin. In a separate incident, he was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and two counts of driving with a suspended license.

In January 2006, he entered a rehab program. At the time, Renfro's attorney, Richard Kaplan, told the Los Angeles Times that his client was doing well and "looks forward to doing whatever is necessary to take care of his personal and legal issues." Renfro eventually plead guilty to the heroin charge and was sentenced to three years' probation.

Most recently, in June 2007 Renfro was found to have violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program. A judge warned him that if he violated probation two more times, he could be sentence to a live-in rehab program or to jail time.

Renfro's death was first reported by TMZ.com.

Matthew McConaughey: I'm Going To Be a Dad

Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila Alves are expecting a child, the actor announced Tuesday on his Web site.

"My girlfriend Camila and I made a baby together," McConaughey writes. "It's 3 months growin in her womb and all looks healthy and lively so far. We are stoked and wowed by this miracle of creation and this gift from God, and so excited for the adventure that will come in raising this child, being mother and a father, and shepherding him or her through this life."

McConaughey adds: "Wish us the best, keep us in your prayers, and God bless evolution. Thanks for being fans of me and my work and now this new and miraculous chapter in my life, as me and Camila and our child do our best to just keep living."

He signs his message, "Wow, McConaughey."

McConaughey, 38, met Alves, 24, a Brazilian model whose family moved to L.A. when she was young, more than a year ago. Since then, they have been together constantly – and often in the Ocean – riding the waves last year from Australia, where he filmed Fool's Gold, to the Bahamas, where he shot the comedy Surfer Dude.

"He's out of his mind!" says his rep Alan Nierob of the pregnancy. "He is euphoric. He couldn't be happier."

Longtime McConaughey pal Mark Gustawes, who is producing Surfer Dude, says the couple are "incredibly happy."

"I can only hope that one day the love I have with the woman carrying my child is equivalent to the love Matthew and Camila share," says Gustawes. "That's a tall bar. In my opinion, the child will be raised with more love than it knows what to do with."

Apple MacBook Air

Apple just introduced the MacBook Air touted as the world’s thinnest notebook with a maximum thickness of only 0.76-inches. That’s thin for sure, but I’m not so sure about the thing myself. I am sure Apple fan boys are jumping up and down right now at the thought of a mega thin notebook.

After you get over the svelte dimensions, the remainder of the machine is a bit meh if you ask me. The screen is a 13.3-inch LED backlit unit and the system has a full size backlit keyboard. Backlighting on a notebook keyboard is a cool feature. The Air is powered by either a 1.6GHz or a 1.8GHz Intel core 2 Duo processor with a 4Mb L2 cache.

The machines come with 2GB or RAM stock and an 80Gb HDD along with 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. The track pad uses multi-touch gesture support allowing navigation similar to that of the iPhone with eh pinch gesture for zooming in and out.

Apple claims that the battery life for the notebook is five hours. The one thing lacking from the MacBook Air is an optical drive. Buyers can opt to purchase an external MacBook Air SuperDrive for $99. The base price for the MacBook Air is $1799 and can go up from there with options ranging from faster processors to a 64GB SSD instead of the 80GB drive.

Via Apple