As the worldwide credit crunch takes its toll on many, the producers of actors Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig’s new Broadway show have decided to ban ticket discounts for top talent agents.
Craig, 41, will be making his Broadway debut opposite Aussie actor Hugh Jackman, 40, on September 10 in the dramatic play ‘A Steady Rain’.
The [...]
Posts Tagged ‘craig’
Talent agents will get no discount for Jackman, Craig’s Broadway show
July 16th, 2009 |
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Craig Crawford: Broken Ankle Empathy
July 15th, 2009 |
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There’s nothing wrong with empathy on the high court. For starters, empathy does not mean you are not neutral. For me, I am keen on…
Woods targeting 15th major title
July 15th, 2009 |
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The 138th Open, Turnberry
Date: 16-19 July
Coverage: Live TV coverage on BBC Two, Online and the Red Button, live on Radio 5 Live and text commentary online on all four days
By Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport at Turnberry
Tiger Woods seeks a 15th major title and Padraig Harrington a third straight Claret Jug when Turnberry hosts the 138th Open Championship on Thursday.
Woods missed Royal Birkdale last year through injury as Ireland’s Harrington won back-to-back Open titles.
World number two Phil Mickelson is missing from the field of 156 to be with his wife who has breast cancer.
World number three Paul Casey will lead the home challenge as Britain seeks a first major champion in 10 years.
Woods, who won the last of his three Open titles at Hoylake in 2006, is the hot favourite to win on the Ayrshire coast after claiming three titles in his eight strokeplay events since returning from eight months out following knee surgery.
The world number one has also finished no worse than ninth since his comeback and is a confirmed admirer of links golf.
"I just fell in love with being able to use the ground as a friend, as an ally," he said at Turnberry on Tuesday.
"Anytime you have a chance to lift the Claret Jug it’s special."
Woods tees off at 0909 BST on Thursday, playing alongside England’s Lee Westwood and young Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa.
Harrington went on to win the USPGA in Woods’s absence last summer, and would become the first man since Australian Peter Thomson in 1952-54 to win a hat-trick of Opens.
ROB HODGETTS BLOG
But the 37-year-old has been struggling for form and has missed five of his last six cuts as he tries to bed down swing adjustments which he says will make him even better in the long-term.
"I’ve not really shown much form and I’m not really knowing what to expect," he said. "I could only be hopeful, rather than expectant, to put in a good performance this week."
Harrington will begin his quest for a fourth major title at 1420 BST in the company of two former US Open champions, American Jim Furyk and Australian Geoff Ogilvy.
England’s Casey rose to number three in the world after victories in Houston and at Wentworth this season and will spearhead the task of securing Britain’s first major championship since Paul Lawrie won the Open at Carnoustie in 1999.
Compatriot Ian Poulter is also tipped by some to go one better than last year when he finished second behind Harrington at Royal Birkdale.
Another home player being talked up is Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy.
The 20-year-old, who became the youngest player ever to reach the world’s top 50 at the end of last year, rose to prominence after a first-round 68 as an amateur in 2007.
Now ranked 22nd, McIlroy is one of the game’s rising stars and could become the youngest winner of the Open since 1900.
Turnberry has staged the Open three times before and on each occasion the man arguably regarded as the best player in the world at the time triumphed – Tom Watson (1977), Greg Norman (1986) and Nick Price (1994).
The 59-year-old Watson, a five-time Open champion, is back this week, as is the 54-year-old Australian Norman, who almost stunned the golfing world when he led going into the final day at Birkdale last year before finishing tied for third.
The Ailsa course has been lengthened since 1994, with 247 yards added to make it a 7,204-yard par-70 test. Several holes have been resculpted, a host of bunkers have been added and the rough has been left to grow long to provide extra defence.
"It’s a great venue, scenic and absolutely stunning," said Michael Brown, chairman of organising body the R&A’s championship committee.
"We think it will be a good and fair test for the players. For the most part they all seem to have liked it in practice and we hope that will continue."
Despite the tough economic climate, which has led to a drop in corporate ticket sales, the R&A are expecting more than 120,000 people through the gates this week, a significant rise on the 114,000 attendance in 1994.
"It’s a fabulous venue and must be kept on the Open rota."
The build-up to the tournament has been dominated by a spat between former Open and Masters champion Sandy Lyle and European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.
Lyle, when asked by reporters if his own decision to walk off after 10 holes of last year’s Open had cost him the Ryder Cup captaincy, brought up an incident at the 2005 Indonesian Open when Montgomerie appeared to take an incorrect drop in a bunker after a rain delay.
Scotland’s Lyle, trying to defend his decision to withdraw from the Open because of injury, accused his countryman of cheating.
He said sorry at a news conference on Tuesday but Montgomerie, who was cleared of any wrongdoing at the time, described it as a "rather strange apology".
England’s Paul Broadhurst, New Zealand’s former US Open champion Michael Campbell and 1989 Open winner Mark Calcavecchia of the US are the first group out at 0630 BST on Thursday.
The forecast is for sunshine and showers on Thursday and Friday and drier for the weekend, though Saturday and Sunday could see more breeze. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Biofuels from algae: Craig’s twist
July 15th, 2009 |
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Algae inch ahead in the race to produce the next generation of biofuels
WHEN BP branded itself as “Beyond Petroleum”, and the fashionable colour among oil companies was green, Exxon Mobil stood aloof from the rush to embrace alternative sources of energy. Indeed Rex Tillerson, the firm’s chief executive, once humorously referred to biofuels as “moonshine”. Now, when some of the enthusiasts are having second thoughts and scaling back on alternatives, Exxon seems to be going the opposite way yet again. On July 14th the oil giant said it would put $300m into what is probably the biggest effort so far to create a new generation of biofuels—with a further $300m to come if things go well.
The beneficiary of this largesse is Synthetic Genomics, a firm based in San Diego that is the commercial vehicle of Craig Venter (pictured above). Dr Venter may be familiar to readers as the former head of Celera Genomics, which ran a privately financed version of the human genome project during the late 1990s, and before that as the leader of the team which produced the first genetic sequence of a living organism (a bacterium called Haemophilus influenzae). In this case, though, the money will be thrown at neither people nor bacteria, but algae. …
Michael Sigman: Language Patrol
July 13th, 2009 |
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The most risible language contortions this side of Dick Cheney’s tortured definitions of “torture” surround mavericky Sarah Palin, whose regular butchering of the English language rivals that of George W. Bush.
Mary Hall: Sex, Dating & the Recession
July 12th, 2009 |
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People are feeling more vulnerable than ever, and one of the best ways to minimize stress and anxiety is seeking comfort in being with friends and lovers.
Craig Newmark: New in gov’t customer service: NY Nearest Subway Augmented Reality App
July 11th, 2009 |
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Hey, really cool, just heard that this might also exist for London Underground….
Take Back Your Personal Power (Part 1)
July 1st, 2009 |
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“But I know What’s Best for You…”
Do you ever feel like you’re a mere pawn in someone else’s game; a powerless player that is regularly used, abused and manipulated for the gain and self interest of others? Self interest that’s often thinly disguised as some kind of action, decision or “plan†that’s somehow in your best interest? Isn’t it amazing how some people know what’s best for their life and yours? If only you and I had the ability to think and choose for ourselves; things could be so different. Have you ever felt like your life (or part of your life) has been taken hostage by someone else’s ego, insecurity and/or greed?
Welcome to a very large club.
Manipulators of the Masses
Perhaps you feel like you’re trapped in some kind of on-going poker game where you’re never dealt any decent cards. As a result you feel like you have no real power or leverage… just the occasional bluff. The truth is, knowingly or not, many of us have given away our personal power (or part thereof) and allowed situations, circumstances and other people to dictate, direct and control our reality for far too long. Some of us have let others tell us what we can do and what we can’t do. What we should think. What we should believe. Where we can go. Who we should spend time with. Why we’re here. What our future holds and even what our life purpose should be. And because on some level we all want acceptance, approval, connection, security and love (and a whole bunch more), far too often we compromise… and compromise… until we eventually lose the real “us†and become a simulated version of us: looks like you and me – but isn’t.
Surrendering of Self
Clearly this “surrendering of self†– that is dreams, goals, ideas, values, beliefs (not to be confused with the Christian notion of “dying to selfâ€) – ain’t a great personal strategy for my life or yours. So if it’s all the same to you manipulators and self-centred control freaks, the rest of us will find our own life purpose, discover our own limits, explore our own potential and keep our personal power. Thanks anyway. Not.
“People can only take our personal power if we give it to them.â€
Being a humble, generous and occasionally selfless individual is to be admired and respected but being a person who has essentially handed over the reigns of their life is tragic, sad and ultimately terminal. Someone who has given away their personal power is a person who has given away control, hope and happiness.
“It’s nice to be nice but it’s stupid to be a doormatâ€
Some people confuse feelings with reality. Not “feeling†powerful doesn’t necessarily equate to not “being†powerful. Unless we make it that. For the most part, feelings (read, fear) merely get in the way of our potential, personal power, growth and success. As a rule, our emotions and thoughts are in no way an indicator of our potential or the incredible future we might create and results we might produce if we should choose to use our power rather than give it away — as we have done in the past. Just because you don’t “feel†powerful or consider yourself to be powerful doesn’t mean that you’re not or you can’t be; it simply means you’re denying your potential and buying into a fear mindset. A feeling is only a feeling and a thought is only a thought until you make them a reality; good or bad.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.†Marianne Williamson
Just to clariff: I just re-read what I’ve written so far and I want to make a few things clear:
- We give away our power – people can’t take it without our permission;
- We allow people and things to have an unhealthy level of control and influence in our life;
- Getting angry, bitter and/or resentful at others will fix nothing – although it’s totally understandable;
- Positive change starts with awareness, understanding and acknowledgement; and
- The situation will change when you change – and you can change any time you like.
Now, is that me over-simplifying the complicated or you complicating the simple?
You decide.
The Last Bit…
Even as you read this right now, some of you might be rationalising your less-than-desirable existence and situation (1) to make yourselves feel better (thereby ignoring those buttons I just pushed) and (2) to avoid confronting the things you know you should deal with. My advice? STOP IT! Your world will change — when you do.
You have the ability, you have the understanding and you have the reasons – now find the courage.
Next time I will share some ideas to help you shift your reality from power-less to power-ful.
Peace.
Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer. For the past 25 years he has been a leading presenter, educator, motivator and commentator in the areas of personal and professional development. You can visit Craig’s blog at Motivational Speaker.
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