The Avengers 2012 film

                                   

                                       The Avengers (released in the UK and Ireland under the name Marvel Avengers Assemble)[1] is a 2012 American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures,1 based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the sixth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was scripted and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, and Samuel L. Jackson. In The Avengers, Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to form a team. The group must stop Thor's brother Loki from destroying Earth.

Development of The Avengers began when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011. With the signing Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay originally written by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in August and New York City in September. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.

The Avengers premiered on April 11, 2012 in Hollywood, California, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 4, 2012. The film has received generally favorable reveiws from critics, and has grossed approximately $260.5 million worldwide.              

Scream' fetches record $119.9M at NYC auction

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the most iconic images in art history — Edvard Munch's "The Scream" — has become the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The 1895 piece — a modern symbol of human anxiety — was sold at Sotheby's in New York City on Wednesday for a record $119.9 million. The price includes the buyer's premium. The image of a man holding his head and screaming under a streaked, blood-red sky is one of four versions by the Norwegian expressionist painter. The piece auctioned at Sotheby's is the only one left in private hands. The buyer's name was not disclosed. The previous record for an artwork sold at auction was $106.5 million for Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust," sold by Christie's in 2010.

Junior Seau dies, reportedly of gunshot wound

Junior Seau, a legendary NFL linebacker, was found dead in his Oceanside, Calif., home this afternoon.

Police were called to Seau’s beachfront home at about 9:35 a.m. PDT after a 911 call reported a shooting. His girlfriend, a police spokesman said, found Seau, 43, dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. A handgun was found next to the body, the spokesman said, and the shooting is being investigated as a suicide.

(Update 4:50 p.m.) Greg Bishop of the New York Times reports Seau did not leave a visible note, according to police. Seau’s girlfriend told police she went to the gym Wednesday morning and returned home to find the body.

Seau’s mother, in a heart-tugging interview outside his house, tearfully spoke of her son. “I appreciate everybody showing your love,” she said. “I appreciate you guys showing your love to my son. ... I don’t understand who’d do this to my son. Please, please take me and leave my son.”

Shawn Mitchell, the San Diego Chargers’ long-time chaplain, told the Union-Tribune that he had been notified of Seau’s death and was on his way to be with Seau’s three children and his family.

“Junior was an icon not only in San Diego but throughout the nation. Of course, this will affect a lot of people, not in the least the children and kids who look up to him

John Edwards' daughter breaks down in tears during testimony about deceased mom, leaves courtroom at trial

       www.general-news24.blogspot.com  John Edwards                                                  

                                                                                            

More tears were shed at the John Edwards conspiracy trial on Wednesday--this time by his daughter. Cate Upham, Edwards' 30-year-old daughter, began crying during testimony from one of her father's former aides about a 2007 argument between Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards, Edwards' former wife and Cate's late mother. Before Christina Reynolds, the ex-aide, recounted the confrontation, Edwards turned to his daughter--a Harvard Law School graduate--seated in the front row. "I don't know what's coming," Edwards said to Cate, according to the Associated Press. "Do you want to leave?" She walked out of the courtroom wiping away tears, the AP reported. (As she left, Edwards was heard saying, "Cate, Cate.") Cate returned to the courtroom after a recess. Reynolds testified that in October 2007 after the National Enquirer broke the story about Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter, Elizabeth Edwards confronted the candidate at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. "Elizabeth was very upset," Reynolds said. "She stormed off and collapsed into a ball in the parking lot." 

[Reynolds] and another staff member helped her into the bathroom of a private hangar. After collecting herself, Elizabeth Edwards came back into the hangar, found her husband and began yelling. She then pulled off her shirt and bra, leaving herself bare-chested, Reynolds said.

"You don't see me any more," Reynolds quoted the wife as saying.

Reynolds said Elizabeth told her that Edwards had confessed to the affair in the summer of 2007. Elizabeth Edwards died in December 2010 after a long battle with cancer.

According to ABC News, "Edwards lowered his head in his hands as Reynolds spoke."

Also Wednesday, another aide, Josh Brumberger, testified that he was with Edwards at a New York bar when Hunter first met the candidate. Brumberger said it was not unusual for strange women to approach Edwards on the campaign trail, and would often have to intervene on his behalf.

"My normal bag of tricks included 'Got a big day tomorrow, got to rest'" Brumberger said.

Brumberger said he recognized Hunter from the bar several weeks later when she began working as a videographer for the campaign. "It was a cause of concern," Brumberger testified.

He said he tried twice to confront Edwards about Hunter, only to be rebuffed. When Brumberger approached two senior aides about her, Edwards threatened to fire him. He quit instead.

"I told Mr. Edwards I was no longer interested in working for him," Brumberger said. "I was kind of in shock."

On Monday, Cheri Young, the wife of Edwards' former aide Andrew Young, broke down in tears when she was asked why she went along with the plan—initiated by Edwards—to put Hunter up in the couple's Chapel Hill home in an effort to keep her from public view. The jury was dismissed to allow Young time to compose herself. The same day, Young's testimony was cut short due to a migraine.

On Tuesday, she was grilled by the defense, admitting that her husband--the prosecution's star witness--drank "a lot" and took Ambien while trying to hide Hunter, the former presidential candidate's mistress.

'Dark Knight Rises' trailer: Focusing on Anne Hathaway's Catwoman

"The Dark Knight Rises"  remorque a été déclenché dans une tempête virale lundi soir, et tandis que les fanboys et de trolls Internet ne peut pas échapper à la morosité du clip, nous avons remarqué certaines choses incroyables nouvelles sur Anne Hathaway .

Comme Selina Kyle et son alter-ego meurtrier Catwoman, Hathaway a déjà commandé un peu d'attention, comme elle se glisse dans le rôle célèbre habitée par des actrices comme Michelle Pfieffer, Halle Berry et Julie Newmar.

Les premières images de son catsuit tambourinait un beaucoup de conversation il ya quelque temps, et maintenant un nouveau trailer (regarder ci-dessous) révèle quelques détails intéressants, tels que ...

Cat Scratch Fever : C'est certainement une allumeuse, mais autour de 01h55 nous arrivons à voir Hathaway balancer loin, poings et les pieds et d'être un dur à cuire. Bien que nous ne pouvons pas dire si elle est hors swatting voyous aux côtés de Batman ou la cause du problème héros de plus, il nous amène à ...

Ambigu Anne : remorques Teaser peint un très condescendant Selina Kyle, se moquant de Christian Bale 's Bruce Wayne et qui menace comme un méchant sur ​​sa moto encombrants. Mais la bande-annonce étendue suggère que Catwoman semble toujours hors de n ° 1, et si cela signifie faire équipe avec le Dark Knight pour la survie, ainsi soit-il. 

Love Triangle? Portant ses oreilles de chat, plaide Catwoman avec un brisé Batman Gotham à abandonner, insistant sur ​​le fait qu'il a donné à ses citoyens suffisamment. Et ses manières de donner la moindre suggestion selon laquelle il devrait prendre la fuite avec son . Dans un autre moment, Batman est sorti de sa batsuit et dans des bretelles de Wayne Wall Street, un baiser sur Marion Cotillard . S'il vous plaît, s'il vous plaît nous dire que nous la chance de voir ces deux dames catfight?

Catchphrase : "Ma mère m'a mis en garde contre d'entrer dans les voitures avec des hommes étranges." Bien joué.

Quels sont vos moments préférés de Catwoman "The Dark Knight Rises" remorque prolongée?Dites-nous dans les commentaires.

May Day Rallies Held Around the World

Tens of thousands of workers are taking to the streets in cities around the world to mark International Workers Day with marches and calls for higher pay and better working conditions

In Asia, thousands gathered in the capital cities of Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia to mark May Day with a rallies organized by trade unions. The French news agency says the rally in Jakarta was the biggest on the continent.

In Taiwan, one nurse, Li Hua-Cheng, 30, deplored her working conditions in a hospital.

"We have been oppressed by the hospitals for a long time, and it has been hard especially when one person has to handle three people's jobs until we eventually develop health problems," said Li.  "This is very inhumane. Moreover, if we have health problems, then we can't provide good care to the patients, and if something happens to the patients, we could make mistakes because of fatigue."

In Russia, President-elect Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev joined tens of thousands in a march through Moscow. Marchers held huge banners supporting their labor unions and factories.

One pensioner, Anna Maltseva, said May Day was a celebration of the solidarity of workers throughout the world.

"I would like this day not just to be a labor holiday every year, celebrating May and freedom, but an international day of solidarity among working people, when we all support each other widely, at least on this day," said Maltseva.

Elsewhere in Europe, protests were fueled by the growing sentiment against the austerity measures imposed by governments in Greece, Spain and elsewhere to cut government budget deficits. In Madrid, thousands protested against the highest jobless rate in the 17-nation euro currency union and labor reforms that make it easier to fire workers. 

In the U.S., Occupy protesters are planning demonstrations in New York to try to blockade a major bridge and shut down some of Wall Street's financial houses.

World Trade Center tower surpasses Empire State

(CBS/AP) The new One World Trade Center - under construction on the site of the original World Trade Center, destroyed in the 9/11 terror attacks - has surpassed the height of the Empire State Building to become New York City's tallest building.

Workers erected steel columns that make the unfinished frame of the building a little more than 1,250 feet high - the level of the Empire State Building's highest observation deck.

The tower still isn't as high as the antenna that sits on the Empire State Building, but when complete will stand at 1,368 feet, beating out the midtown skyscraper that was for decades the world's tallest. When counting a 408-foot-tall antenna spire that will sit on its roof, the "Freedom Tower" will measures 1,776 feet.

Discounting the antenna, it will still be the second-highest building in the U.S., after the Willis Tower in Chicago. (Experts usually don't count antennas or flagpoles when measuring building height.)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Third baseman Brandon Inge has agreed to sign with the Oakland Athletics, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Sunday.

Inge gives Oakland experience at a position that has been mix-and-match so far — and some versatility considering he can also play several other spots.

The deal was pending a physical and final paperwork, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because nothing had been finalized and the A's were yet to make a formal announcement.

Inge was released by the Tigers on Thursday after batting .100 (2 for 20) with one home run and two RBIs in nine games this season. Inge, who turns 35 on May 19, joins his first new team in his 12th major league season. In Detroit, he played mostly third base, but he has also caught, played the outfield and second base.

He'll try to fill a huge void at third, where the A's lost projected starter Scott Sizemore to a season-ending knee injury in the first full-squad workout of spring training Feb. 27. Oakland manager Bob Melvin has tried Josh Donaldson, Eric Sogard and Luke Hughes in the spot so far. That trio left for the current road trip batting a combined .111 with eight errors.

"We have who we have," Melvin said last week.

It's a far cry from the sure-handed play the A's used to get from six-time Gold Glove winner Eric Chavez at third. Oakland thought it had the answer in Sizemore, who also came from the Tigers in a trade last May.

ATLANTA -- Talk about a tough playoff opener for the Boston Celtics.

One game, possibly two big losses.

There was the score, of course, which went in

NEW YORK -- Three generations of a family died in a horrifying crash just a few miles from home when the SUV they were traveling in plunged more than 50 feet off a highway overpass and into a ravine on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo, killing all seven aboard, including three children.

"Sometimes you come upon events that are horrific and this is one of them," FDNY deputy Chief Ronald Werner said shortly after the crash. seatbelt

Authorities were trying to determine what caused Sunday's accident that killed Jacob Nunez, 85, and Ana Julia Martinez, 81, both from the Dominican Republic, their daughters, Maria Gonzalez, 45, and Maria Nunez, 39, and three grandchildren. Police say Gonzalez was driving, and all the victims were wearing seat belts.

The children were identified as Jocelyn Gonzalez, 10, the daughter of the driver, Niely Rosario, 7, and Marly Rosario, 3, both daughters of Nunez.

"They were a good, wholesome family," a Bronx neighbor, Felicia Lee, 29, told the Daily News.

"The mother always kept an eye on her children. They were typical little girls. They were gorgeous. They were so pretty," Lee said.

The accident was the second in the past year where a car fell off the same stretch of the Bronx River Parkway.

Werner said the crash scene, less than five miles from Gonzalez's Bronx home, was difficult to see, with contents of the van, including a pink schoolbag, strewn about.

"When you see young kids that have been hurt or injured or lose their life, it's always harder than if you find someone that's an elder age," Werner said. "It affects all our units."

Obama mocks scandals, Republicans at White House Correspondents Dinner

At a time when the Obama administration is reeling from a pair of high-profile scandals, the president paused Saturday night to thoroughly mock them before a crowd of dressed-up journalists and celebrities at the White House Correspondents Dinner. 

Few topics were off limits as President Obama roasted his own administration officials, while reserving a stinging string of punch-lines for targets ranging from Mitt Romney to Newt Gingrich to Donald Trump. 

His closing line poked fun at the Secret Service, which for weeks has been embroiled in a prostitution scandal after agents were found carousing with women in Colombia ahead of the president's visit. 

"I had a lot more material prepared, but I have to get the Secret Service home in time for their new curfew," Obama said, referencing the agency's new rules of conduct. 

The president also ripped the General Services Administration, over the agency's now infamous 2010 conference in Las Vegas. 

"I mean, look at this party.  We've got men in tuxes, women in gowns, fine wine, first-class entertainment," he said. "I was just relieved to learn this was not a GSA conference." 

The dinner was far from a campaign-free zone. The president pointed out his similarities with the presumed Republican nominee, Mitt Romney. 

"We both think of our wives as our better halves, and the American people agree to an insulting extent," the president said. 

"We both have degrees from Harvard. I have one, he has two. What a snob." 

The crack drew a thumbs up from former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who was in the audience. Santorum dropped out of the presidential primary campaign earlier this month. He had called Obama a snob for encouraging young Americans to attend college. 

Obama also teased Newt Gingrich, who is expected to formally drop out of the Republican presidential race this coming week. 

"Now, I know at this point many of you are expecting me to go after my likely opponent, Newt Gingrich," Obama said. "Newt, there's still time, man." 

The president turned to make fun of recent stories about his childhood experience eating dog -- which he wrote about in his memoir. 

"Even Sarah Palin is getting back into the game, guest hosting on The Today Show -- which reminds me of an old saying: What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?  A pit bull is delicious," Obama said, adding: "A little soy sauce." 

He later joked: "My stepfather always told me, it's a boy-eat-dog world out there." 

Even the entrance to his speech was part of his schtick. The president walked off stage just before he took the podium with an alleged "hot mic," making fun of getting caught last month on an open microphone with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

France's Hollande says his ideas winning in Europe

(Reuters) - France's Socialist presidential frontrunner Francois Hollande welcomed Germany's call for growth measures on Saturday as a sign Europe was accepting his warnings of the risk of austerity.

Obama Campaign Trots Out Bin Laden, Spikes the Football (Updated: Romney Responds) 

The narrator in the ad is former President Bill Clinton.

This latest ad contradicts President Obama's own pledge after he took out bin Laden. "You know, we don't trot out this stuff as trophies," Obama told CBS soon after the terrorist mastermind had been taken out. He added: "Americans and people around the world are glad that he's gone. But we don't need to spike the football."

With the Obama campaign's latest ad, it's pretty safe to say that the president is now OK with "trot[ting] out this stuff" and "spik[ing] the football," as long as it helps him get reelected.

UPDATE: Mitt Romney's campaign responds with this statement from press secretary Andrea Saul: “The killing of Osama bin Laden was a momentous day for all Americans and the world, and Governor Romney congratulated the military, our intelligence agencies, and the President. It's now sad to see the Obama campaign seek to use an event that unified our country to once again divide us, in order to try to distract voters' attention from  the failures of his administration. With 23 million Americans struggling for work, our national debt soaring, and household budgets being squeezed like never before, Mitt Romney is focused on strengthening America at home and abroad.”