Bezanya kali ini bukan di landasan nyanyian, tetapi lakonan dalam siri seram, Idola Kecil Misteri Rumah Tua yang bakal bersiaran pada cuti sekolah akan datang, iaitu pada 15, 16 dan 17 Mac ini pukul 7 malam di TV9.

Tahun lalu, bakat lakonan bintang Idola Kecil cuba diterjemah menerusi siri dua episod, Idola Kecil Cinderella Story yang berjaya menarik minat hampir sejuta penonton.

Atas keyakinan yang sama, drama bersiri Idola Kecil Misteri Rumah Tua yang menjalani penggambaran selama lebih seminggu di Hulu Pangsung, Hulu Selangor bermula 12 Februari lalu diterbitkan.

Selain juaranya, Dayana, sembilan lagi bintang Idola Kecil 2 yang terlibat ialah Azzam, Arill, Maulud, Ain, Fienaz, Tasha, Nurul, Jiha dan Sam.

Ini salah satu daripada agenda yang disusun oleh TV9 dalam memastikan bakat yang ada pada 10 peserta tersebut tidak disiakan begitu sahaja.

“Disebabkan kanak-kanak boleh menyanyi dan berlakon, maka drama berkonsepkan muzikal ini dilihat bersesuaian dengan mereka.

“Ini salah satu projek istimewa yang direncanakan untuk mereka sempena cuti sekolah akan datang.

“Dan selepas itu, pada April nanti, bakal menyusul pula sebuah lagi drama bersiri yang akan melibatkan mereka dan beberapa peserta Idola Kecil musim pertama,” kata Ketua Pengurusan Penjenamaan TV9, Rozaina Zainul Abidin pada sidang akhbar baru-baru ini.

Bukan atas tiket mencari keuntungan, jelas Rozaina, perancangan tentang drama bersiri tersebut telah direncanakan sebelum tamat pertandingan Idola Kecil musim kedua itu.

Sebelum ini, tercetus isu yang mendakwa TV9 menggunakan bintang-bintang Idola Kecil untuk meraih keuntungan berikutan kontrak yang disambung secara tiba-tiba.

Tindakan itu didakwa menyukarkan proses mereka menerima tawaran dan kontrak nyanyian.

Menjawab isu ini, Rozaina berkata, tidak timbul isu mengenai kontrak seperti yang diuar-uarkan.

“Sebelum peserta menandatangani perjanjian, kita sudah menjelaskan pelbagai perkara dan semua peserta pertandingan realiti di bawah Media Prima perlu menandatangani perjanjian ini.

“Cuma apa yang menjadi isu ialah pemanjangan kontrak yang pada awalnya daripada 2 Oktober 2009 hingga 4 Julai 2010 untuk menjalani pelbagai aktiviti yang telah ditetapkan oleh TV9 dipanjangkan sehingga Disember 2010.

“Dalam perjanjian tersebut, memang sudah tertulis bahawa mereka tidak boleh terlibat dengan mana-mana aktiviti atau tawaran lain tanpa kebenaran pihak TV9.

“Jelas disini tiada isu tentang mereka diikat. Apatah lagi pemanjangan kontrak tersebut hanya melibatkan lima bintang Idola Kecil 2 iaitu Azzam, Dayana, Fienaz dan Ain,” katanya.

Sambungan kontrak kepada lima peserta Idola Kecil 2 itu kata Rozaina, bukan berdasarkan pilih kasih namun, ia mengambil pertimbangan dari segi faktor tempat tinggal dan kemudahan peserta mengikuti pelbagai aktiviti yang disediakan memandangkan mereka masih bersekolah.

Berbalik kepada drama muzikal Idola Kecil Misteri Rumah Tua, turut berlakon ialah Ilya (Senario) yang bakal melakonkan watak bapa tiri kepada Dayana dan Arill.

Manakala seorang lagi pelakon terkenal, Fizz Fairuz bakal melakonkan watak sebagai bapa kepada Azzam.

Kisah bermula apabila Azzam yang baru kematian ibu sentiasa mengalami mimpi ngeri yang penuh misteri di mana dalam mimpi tersebut dia sering bertemu kanak-kanak perempuan berpakaian gaun putih.

Azzam menceritakan mimpi tersebut kepada bapanya dan atas nasihat doktor, bapanya membawa Azzam pulang ke kampung dengan hasrat Azzam akan memperoleh ketenangan dan bebas daripada trauma kehilangan ibu.

Namun, ketika dalam perjalanan pulang ke kampung, Azzam terlihat sebuah rumah usang yang sering muncul dalam mimpinya dan atas bantuan sesupu-sepupunya, mereka menyiasat misteri tentang rumah usang tersebut.

Apakah yang berlaku ketika mereka menjalankan proses penyiasatan?.

Pastikan anda tidak ketinggalan menyaksikan siri menarik ini arahan Zafran Aziz pada 15, 16 dan 17 Mac ini pukul 7 malam di TV9.

It’s something you wanna see (at least we hope not, for your sake), but something we’re seeing stories about all the time. Pretty bizarre if you ask us.

Following the leak of an alleged Snooki nude picture last week come reports of more supposed shots of Nicole Polizzi naked being released and sold.

The lovable Jersey Shore cast member has denied the existence of naked photos, but an anonymous group is readying to post another “sexy” shot.

According to reports, this sketchy group wants to sell the entire set of naked pictures of Nicole Polizzi – plus video. People may bid hundreds for it.

Snooki Kissing

Pass.

The new pic on nakedsnooki.com shows her from behind in lingerie. The naked photos match the background of her room, as seen on Snooki’s Twitter.

Pics and a video, which is by far the most graphically revealing of all the material and seems to have been taken by Snooki herself, are all for sale.

Jersey Shore has been renewed for a second season by MTV. No word if the network is behind the nakedsnooki.com site and this is all a PR hoax.

According to RadarOnline.com, off-camera Grubbs is claiming that she and Clooney had sex.

“Jaimee told me that she slept with George Clooney,” a source who met the waitress recently tells RadarOnline.com. “I think she thought it would impress me or something – make her seem really attractive maybe, you know, George wants her so she must be really hot.

“She was boasting about how amazing he was and how he made her feel like a total princess, she said it was the most amazing sex she’’s ever had.”

The video clip is part of an audition interview Jaimee did for a reality TV show.

Grubbs reveals she was at work one night when Clooney came in with Rande Gerber, who owns the bar she works at.

She says Clooney was enjoying “a boys night out” at the bar.

The 16-nation euro traded near an eight-month low ahead of a meeting of European finance chiefs that may provide details of a Greece bailout. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 0.4 percent to 115.94 at 12:12 p.m. in Tokyo as a BlueScope Steel Ltd. loss and China bolstered steps to ease inflation.

EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels today may add details to a plan unveiled last week that called for closer monitoring of the Greek economy. Dubai shares tumbled on Feb. 14 amid concern state-owned Dubai World, which roiled markets last year when it sought to restructure loans, may fail to present a plan to creditors. China last week ordered banks to set aside more deposits as reserves for the second time in a month.

“Greece is in a tough situation,” said Hiroshi Watanabe, an economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research in Tokyo. “The nation’s finances are susceptible to failure, as investors may not be able to digest its bond issuance. The issue will weigh on markets.”

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 0.4 percent, even as a government report showed the nation’s economic growth accelerated last quarter. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slumped 0.4 percent. Markets in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are closed today for the Lunar New Year holiday. U.S. markets are shut today for Presidents’ Day.

BlueScope Loss

BlueScope, Australia’s largest steelmaker, slumped 2.7 percent to A$2.49. The company swung to a loss in the first half because of declining prices and a strengthening local currency. The loss was A$28.5 million ($25 million) in the six months ended Dec. 31, compared with profit of A$407 million a year earlier, the Melbourne-based company said today.

Material producers accounted for 14 percent of the MSCI Asia Pacific Index’s drop today. Copper futures in New York sank 1.6 percent on Feb. 12 after China, the world’s largest consumer of the metal, ordered banks to set aside more deposits as loan growth quickened and property prices surged.

Mitsubishi Corp., Japan’s biggest commodities trader, declined 1.6 percent to 2,189 yen. Rio Tinto Group, the world’s No. 3 mining company, decreased 1.9 percent to A$70.58 in Sydney. Komatsu Ltd., a Japanese machinery maker that counts China as its fastest-growing market, lost 1.6 percent to 1,789 yen.

Shinsei, Aozora

Shinsei Bank Ltd. fell 5.8 percent to 98 yen after the Nikkei newspaper said merger talks with Aozora Bank Ltd. collapsed after the two companies failed to agree on a business strategy. Aozora Bank lost 3.4 percent to 105 yen.

Japan’s gross domestic product grew an annualized 4.6 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, more than economists had estimated, according to a government report. Consumer spending rose 0.7 percent, while capital spending increased 1 percent, the report showed.

“The mood is still very gloomy,” said Curtis Freeze, president of Honolulu-based Prospect Asset Management, which oversees $1 billion. “People don’t trust the numbers very much.”

Greece is expected to resist pressure from the European Central Bank and Germany for an immediate tightening of its budget deficit, the Financial Times reported, citing a senior Greek official it didn’t identify. The Greek government is fighting to postpone a decision on proposed increases in taxes until mid-March, the FT said.

Rescue Plan

“Concerns over the debt situation in Greece will keep a lid on the euro,” said Toshiya Yamauchi, manager of foreign- exchange margin trading at Ueda Harlow in Tokyo. “People are monitoring closely if EU finance ministers can hammer out a decisive rescue plan.”

The euro fell to $1.3615 versus the dollar in Tokyo from $1.3632 in New York on Feb. 12 when it reached $1.3532, the lowest since May 19. The dollar traded at 90.15 yen from 89.96 yen on Feb. 12.

Greece, representing 2.7 percent of the trading bloc’s $13 trillion economy, posted a budget deficit of 12.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2009, more than four times the EU’s 3 percent limit.

Dubai and Dubai World haven’t yet made an offer to creditors on the state-owned holding company’s debt restructuring plan, a spokeswoman for the emirate’s Department of Finance said yesterday. Zawya Dow Jones said yesterday Dubai World, which is seeking to restructure $22 billion of debt, may offer creditors 60 cents on the dollar after seven years.

Oil Falls

The cost of protecting Japanese and Australian corporate bonds from default rose the most in more than a week, according to traders of credit-default swaps.

The Markit iTraxx Australia index climbed 4.5 basis points to 103 basis points, according to Deutsche Bank AG. The Markit iTraxx Japan index rose 4 basis points to 150 basis points, prices from the Frankfurt-based bank show. Both indexes recorded their biggest increases since Feb. 5, according to prices from CMA DataVision in New York.

Oil traded near $74 a barrel after declining as a Department of Energy report showed a bigger-than-forecast increase in U.S. crude inventories and as China sought to cool its economic expansion.

Oil dropped 1.5 percent Feb. 12 as China ordered banks to set aside more deposits as reserves for the second time in a month. “Further steps taken by the Chinese to tighten their bank lending and slightly weaker-than-expected European growth data were a negative for sentiment,” said Toby Hassall, commodity analyst at CWA Global Markets Pty in Sydney. “The DOE data wasn’t supportive of higher prices. The crude number was a bit higher than expected.”

Crude oil for March delivery traded at $74.15 a barrel, up 3 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Gold for immediate delivery rose 0.1 percent to $1,094.40 an ounce on speculation investors may seek a haven on concern that budget deficits in Greece, Spain and Portugal may weaken the economic outlook in Europe. Copper on the London Metal Exchange gained 0.7 percent to $6,860 a metric ton, after slumping 1.9 percent on Feb. 12

Surprisingly, the long-dead man appears to have originated in Siberia and is unrelated to modern Greenlanders, Morten Rasmussen of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues found.

“This provides evidence for a migration from Siberia into the New World some 5,500 years ago, independent of that giving rise to the modern Native Americans and Inuit,” the researchers wrote in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.

Not only can the findings help transform the study of archeology, but they can help answer questions about the origins of modern populations and disease, they said.

“Such studies have the potential to reconstruct not only our genetic and geographical origins, but also what our ancestors looked like,” David Lambert and Leon Huynen of Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, wrote in a commentary.

The DNA gives strong hints about the man, nicknamed Inuk. “Brown eyes, brown skin, he had shovel-form front teeth,” Eske Willerslev, who oversaw the study, told a telephone briefing. Such teeth are characteristic of East Asian and Native American populations.

He had the genes for early hair loss, too. “Because we found quite a lot of hair from this guy, we presume he actually died quite young,” Willerslev said.

The man lived among the Saqqaq people, the earliest known culture in southern Greenland that lasted from around 2500 BC until about 800 BC.

Scientists have disagreed on who these people were — whether they descended from the peoples who crossed the Bering Strait 30,000 to 40,000 years ago to settle the New World or whether they were more recent immigrants.

Willerslev’s team pulled DNA from hairs found in a frozen Saqqaq site and sequenced it just as they would a modern person’s full genome, looking for characteristic mutations.

“Recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies have initiated an era of personal genomics,” the researchers wrote.

“The sequencing project described here is a direct test of the extent to which ancient genomics can contribute knowledge about now-extinct cultures,” they added.

The DNA links Inuk to modern-day Arctic residents of Siberia. He had almost none of the mutations seen in Indians living in Central and South America.

“We have an increasingly powerful forensic tool with which to ‘reconstruct’ extinct humans and the demographics of populations,” Lambert and Huynen wrote.

A year ago scientists sequenced the genome of a Neanderthal — early humans who went extinct 30,000 years ago — and other groups have sequenced DNA from dried-out mammoth hair.

Pengambilan mi segera seharusnya ditambah dengan hidangan protein, serat dan sayuran bagi menyeimbangkan pengambilan zat makanan dalam diet seharian setiap individu.

Pakar pemakanan, Gaiyal Subramaniam berkata, mi segera sememangnya sesuai diambil sebagai alas perut bagi mereka yang tidak sempat mengambil hidangan sempurna. Tetapi seelok-eloknya ubah cara penyediaan hidangan mi segera tersebut supaya ia lebih berkhasiat dan mengenyangkan.

‘‘Hidangan mi segera biasanya mengandungi banyak kandungan sodium ataupun garam yang boleh menyebabkan masalah kepada tubuh.

“Oleh itu perlu diberi perhatian dengan menambahkan komponen makanan seperti protein, serat dan sayuran bagi memberi keseimbangan dalam sajian mee segera itu,’’ katanya pada bengkel kulinari bersama media di Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini.

Bengkel kulinari bersama media itu diadakan sempena Persidangan Kemuncak Mi Segera Sedunia (WINA) kali ke-7 yang akan diadakan pada 20 hingga 22 April 2010 di Kuala Lumpur. Tema persidangan ialah Makanan Dunia – Bersama Menjayakannya.

Menurut Gabenor WINA, Izham Mohamed, persidangan berkenaan diadakan bagi memberi penjelasan mengenai mi segera yang boleh dijadikan hidangan menyihatkan dan membetulkan tanggapan bahawa ia adalah makanan yang tidak menyihatkan.

Beliau yang juga Pengarah Eksekutif Pemakanan-Malaysia dan Singapura, Nestle Products Sdn. Bhd., memberitahu, persatuan amat komited untuk menjadikan mi segera sebagai ‘makanan dunia’ setaraf dengan makanan asasi lain seperti nasi, pasta dan roti.

‘‘Objektif WINA adalah untuk memajukan industri dan mengukuhkan diet penduduk di seluruh dunia dengan memperbaiki kualiti mee segera serta meningkatkan kadar pengambilan makanan ini.

‘‘Pada 2009, kira-kira 93.6 bilion hidangan mi segera dinikmati dengan purata lebih 13 hidangan bagi setiap penduduk dunia. Ini menunjukkan penerimaan tinggi terhadap makanan kecemasan tersebut. Ia jelas menunjukkan mi segera adalah ‘makanan dunia’,” katanya.

Sementara itu, bengkel kulinari WINA itu bertujuan untuk menampilkan kreativiti, kecanggihan serta kesedapan mi segera tanpa menjejaskan nilai khasiat bagi setiap hidangan.

Chef Nathalie Arbefeuile dari Nathalie Gourmet Studio telah menyediakan tiga hidangan iaitu mi segera berkuah cendawan bersama udang tempura, dada ayam bertatah tiga lada bangala dan sayuran serta sarbat ros mee segera dengan laici dan buah rasberi.

Hidangan ini telah mengubah tanggapan betapa masakan mi segera boleh dipelbagaikan sama ada sebagai ramuan dalam hidangan barat atau makanan timur, malah boleh juga dijadikan pencuci mulut.

Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, seen here in Florida, are suing a British tabloid over claims they were considering a multi-million-dollar split, their lawyers have said.

The weekly News of the World tabloid reported last month that the unmarried stars had visited a lawyer in December, and had agreed a deal on dividing their assets and access to their children.

“The publication of these false allegations is being treated as a serious misuse of private information and accordingly a claim form has… been issued in the High Court of Justice in London,” said Schillings lawyers.

The British paper’s story was picked up by a number of international news outlets, some of which cited US divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope as representing the couple, dubbed “Brangelina” by the press.

But Trope denied any links with them, according to comments cited by Schillings.

“I have had no contact from.., Angelina Jolie and/or Brad Pitt. I have never met your… clients or had any involvement with either of them. The foregoing is true with respect to all other members of this firm,” he said.

Schillings also alleged that the News of the World story breached the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) code of practice requiring media to “take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information”.

Lawyer Keith Schilling said the newspaper had rebuffed efforts to resolve the matter without going to court.

“The News of the World has failed to meet our clients? reasonable demands for a retraction of and apology for these false and intrusive allegations which have now been widely republished by mainstream news outlets,” he said.

“We have advised them to bring proceedings which they have now done.”

The News of the World, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News International group and one of Britain’s biggest-selling papers which regularly publishes scoops about celebrities, made no comment on the legal action.

Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan dan Kesejahteraan Bandar, Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin berkata, ia akan dirangka berasaskan pengumuman Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak semalam yang antaranya mengambil kira persetujuan pemilik tanah dan penduduk.

Selain itu, katanya, kertas itu turut mengandungi hal-hal perundangan selain kaedah perancangan yang rapi.

Menurut beliau, setelah siap sepenuhnya, baru cadangan itu dibentangkan untuk mendapat kelulusan jemaah menteri.

”Selepas itu, saya akan berdialog dengan penduduk Kampung Baru bagi mendapatkan pandangan jika masih ada cadangan yang perlu diperbetulkan supaya dapat dibawa berbincang semula dengan jemaah menteri,” jelasnya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar selepas menghadiri Pertandingan Debat Antara Universiti bagi merebut Piala Menteri Pengajian Tinggi (MOHEC) yang diadakan di Auditorium, Balai Ungku Aziz, Fakulti Pergigian Universiti Malaya di sini hari ini.

Raja Nong Chik berkata, apa yang penting sekarang adalah persetujuan pemilik tanah terhadap cadangan tersebut.

”Jika mereka menerima baik kaedah pembangunan yang dicadangkan ini maka kita tidak ada masalah untuk membangunkan Kampung Baru menjadi pusat komersial menjelang 2011,” jelasnya.

Sementara itu dalam pertandingan debat berkenaan, juara keseluruhan kumpulan dimenangi oleh pelajar dari Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) dan pemidato terbaik pula dimenangi oleh Tasneem Elyas, 23, juga dari UIA.

Hasil maklumat, polis berjaya menemui mayat Medine Memi ditanam dalam keadaan duduk dengan tangan terikat dalam sebuah lubang sedalam dua meter di reban ayam berhampiran rumahnya di Kahta, Adiyaman, 40 hari selepas beliau dilapor hilang.

Bedah siasat menemui tanah di dalam perut dan paru-paru, mengesahkan Medine ditanam hidup-hidup.

“Tiada tanda menunjukkan beliau pengsan atau diracun. Dalam erti kata lain beliau sedar sepenuhnya ketika ditanam,” kata pakar.

Bapa dan datuk Medine kini ditahan pihak berkuasa. Dalam soal siasat, bapanya menyatakan, keluarganya tidak suka beliau memiliki kawan lelaki.

Kes pembunuhan menebus maruah berlaku di wilayah didiami puak Kurdish di tenggara Turki.

Bangun pagi sahaja, nasi lemak pasti dicari untuk sarapan. Begitu juga dengan tengah hari dan malam, hidangannya parti nasi. Kadang-kadang tengah malam pun ada yang masih cari nasi berbanding menu lain.

Nasi lemak misalnya, cukup sinonim dengan warga negara ini tanpa mengira kaum. Makanan tradisi ini tetap menjadi pilihan utama walaupun ada pilihan lain seperti roti canai, mee, kuih-muih dan nasi goreng.

Trend makan nasi lemak kini tidak lagi hanya pagi hari malah pada waktu malam.

Bagi peminat-peminat nasi lemak, apa yang menyedapkan lagi menu tersebut ialah sambal serta lauk sampingan yang disediakan.

Lebih istimewa jika ia dibungkus menggunakan daun pisang, kerana ia membangkitkan aromanya yang harum dan mampu membuka selera.

Jika dahulu nasi lemak disajikan bersama lauk pauk asas seperti kacang tanah, timun, sambal ikan bilis dan telur rebus, kini ia menawarkan pelbagai cita rasa. Antaranya rendang ayam dan daging, sambal sotong, sambal kerang, ayam goreng dan telur goreng.

Di Kuala Lumpur, pergilah ke mana ceruk pastinya anda dapat menikmati nasi lemak atau nasi lemak kukus.

Salah satu nasi lemak kukus yang sedap untuk dinikmati ialah nasi lemak kukus daun pisang Mastar Catering.

Boleh dinikmati di Kampung Warisan, Putrajaya; Restoran Maulana, Seri Kembangan dan Restoran Maulana, Serdang, nasi lemak kukus daun pisang Mastar Catering sememangnya digilai pelanggan.

Menurut pemilik Mastar Catering, Mastar Muni, lazimnya ayam dara goreng berempah, sambal sotong, daging rendang, paru masak tiga rasa serta sambal kerang menjadi menu pilihan pelanggannya.

”Nasi lemak ini sebenarnya bergantung kepada santan yang digunakan dan yang membuatkannya lebih sedap apabila dihidangkan di atas daun pisang.

”Lauk-lauk sampingan sebenarnya untuk menyedapkan lagi nasi lemak tersebut dan apa pun samballah yang menentukan kehebatan sesuatu nasi lemak,” ujarnya ketika ditemui di Putrajaya, baru-baru ini.

Jelas Mastar, setelah melibatkan diri selama 15 tahun dalam bidang ini, dia berasa puas kerana nasi lemak yang disajikan terus mendapat sambutan.

”Apa yang memuaskan hati setiap tukang masak ialah apabila melihat apa yang disediakan begitu disukai pelanggan.

”Rasa penat bekerja seharian akan hilang, seronok berniaga rasanya,” tambah Mastar.

Mastar yang dibantu isteri-isterinya, Jamilah Shahir dan Suzrina Mohd. Sabri bangun seawal pukul 4 pagi untuk memulakan kerja-kerja memasak.

Nasi lemak kukus daun pisang ini menggunakan resipinya sendiri dan setiap hari Mastar pastinya menyediakan 90 kilogram (kg) nasi, 20 kg lauk dan 100 kg ayam.

Menurut beliau lagi, nasi lemak kukus daun pisangnya hanya dijual untuk sarapan bermula pukul 7 pagi hingga 12 tengah hari.

Nasi lemak yang disajikan dengan ayam dara goreng berempah dijual dengan harga RM5.50 sementara bersotong (RM3.50).

Bagaimanapun anda boleh membeli nasi lemak kukus daun pisang Mastar serendah RM1.20 sebungkus (biasa) dan juga boleh mencecah sehingga RM9 sebungkus (pelbagai jenis lauk).

”Kini saya dalam perancangan untuk membuka restoran Nasi Lemak Kukus Daun Pisang Mastar selain bercita-cita menjadikannya sebuah perniagaan francais,” katanya mengakhiri bualan.

Now, Gibson is back in front of the cameras with “Edge of Darkness,” one of several films he plans to act in over the next few years. We caught up with the controversial-but-nonetheless-legendary actor/director and his co-star Ray Winstone to discuss the flick about a man seeking to find his daughter’s killers, as well as his rusty acting chops and the reasons he walked away in the first place.

MTV: Mel, it’s been seven years since you’ve acted in a movie. When I Googled your name, the first thing that popped up was a headline that said: “Does Mel Gibson still have it?” So I wanted to ask you: Does Mel still have it?

Mel Gibson: I still don’t know; I never knew whether I had it in the first place.

Ray Winstone: You’re asking me that, and he’s sitting next to me? For me, to go and work with him and watch him go to work was an education — and that’s how making films should be. You should learn every time you go to work. It was an honor and a pleasure.

Gibson: I walked away because I was feeling stale and bored by acting. I got into the directing thing, producing, writing all that sort of stuff. Now, it felt like it was time to hop back in the saddle. This was a strong, compelling piece of work, a good story.

MTV: Is it like riding a bike? Or were there any acting skills that you found were a bit rusty?

Gibson: Oh, of course you’re rusty. You’ve gotta blow out the pipes a few times. But you know, after a couple of failed starts, you get off the deck and get going again.

Winstone: I think you can be a bit rusty after six months, can’t you really?

Gibson: Yeah, you can. But there’s another adage that says — an old wise man told me this, he was an old acting teacher of mine — if you really want to rejuvenate your creative juices, walk away from your chosen spear of expertise for a while. Dig a ditch, do something with your hands, do something different and then come back, and magically your creative juices will be rejuvenated.

MTV: So are you going to turn into the new Michael Caine now? Are we going to see five movies from you within the next year?

Gibson: [In a Michael Caine voice] Well, I’ve been thinking about it. [Laughs.]

MTV: We’ve seen a lot of revenge movies over the years: The “Death Wish” movies, “Death Sentence,” “The Brave One,” even your “Payback.” What separates this movie from those?

Gibson: I think the core of it — it’s a very strong emotional core, and a father/daughter relationship. This is about a guy who has to fulfill something that he probably failed to do for his daughter when she was alive. He has to do it posthumously, and he sacrifices himself in the process. It’s a one-way ticket. That’s why it’s the edge of darkness, I guess. It explores those themes of parenthood, loss, grief and breakdown — and there’s also nothing like a good old-fashioned mystery.

MTV: There’s a lot of blood in this. Would you consider it a violent movie?

Gibson: No; this is not violent. Look at “Inglourious Basterds.” Is this as violent as that?

Winstone: “Braveheart,” I thought, was pretty violent. The battle scenes were unbelievable. In fact, films started changing and doing battles more like the way you did it in “Braveheart.”

MTV: Well, any movie where you don’t get disemboweled in the end is a good thing.

Gibson: Yeah, I think so. No one likes that.

Tertuduh, Khairulnizam Abdul Ghani, 29, didakwa menghina dengan niat menyakiti institusi kesultanan Johor dan rakyat dengan memuat naik di dalam blognya satu artikel bertajuk ‘Dah mampos buat cara mampos la’ oleh Aduka Taruna. Kandungan artikel itu menyatakan, ‘Dah mampos buat cara mampos la. Boleh plak simpan mayat nak tunggu Datuk Bendahara balik dari shopping. Boleh meeting isytihar sedang terlentang. Pada hal dah mampos pagi tadi. Pergi mampos sama lu. Bodoh punya kerajaan spesis stupid.’ Khairulnizam didakwa melakukan kesalahan mengikut seksyen berkenaan di rumah beralamat 297, Rumah Rakyat Panchor, Paroi, antara jam 7.25 malam hingga 9.05 malam pada 22 Januari lalu.

Pertuduhan dibuat mengikut Seksyen 233 (1) (a) Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998 (Akta 588) dan boleh dihukum mengikut Seksyen 233 (3) akta yang sama, sabit kesalahan boleh didenda RM50,000 atau dipenjara satu tahun atau kedua-duanya.

Pendakwaan dilakukan Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Masri Mohd Daud, manakala tertuduh diwakili peguam Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin.

Masri memohon mahkamah menetapkan ikat jamin RM10,000 ke atas tertuduh berikutan kes itu agak serius, bagaimanapun Mohd Radzlan meminta dikurangkan.

Katanya, Khairulnizam baru berkahwin dan akan mengadakan majlis persandingan yang sepatutnya berlangsung hari ini.

“Keluarga tertuduh hanya mampu menyediakan wang jaminan sebanyak RM5,000 dalam tempoh singkat memandangkan tertuduh akan melangsungkan persandingannya esok (hari ini),” katanya.

Hakim Mahkamah Sesyen, Zamri Bakar berkata, pihaknya memandang serius perbuatan jenayah itu kerana ia menghina kerajaan yang mempunyai institusi kesultanan unik yang stabil.

Menurutnya, beliau mempertimbangkan keputusan itu berikutan Khairulnizam perlu menghadiri persandingannya dengan menetapkan ikat jamin sebanyak RM5,000 dengan seorang penjamin manakala pasportnya perlu diserahkan kepada mahkamah.

Beliau menetapkan 31 Mac depan sebagai tarikh sebutan semula.

Two baby Arabian sand cat kittens look around on their first day of being on display Inside of the zoo’s cat house, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 in Avondale, Ohio. The kittens were born in October 2009.

Opinion is divided about what an Apple tablet would be called, but the smart money is on iSlate. Apple purchased the domain name iSlate.com in 2007, and although the web address currently doesn’t go through to a web page, that’s all expected to change on Wednesday. Other rumoured names for the Apple tablet include iTablet, iTouch, MacBook Touch, iPad and Canvas – a reference to the paint-splattered invitation Apple sent to media and analysts inviting them to “come see our latest creation”.

What will the interface be like?

It’s likely that many of the gestures needed to navigate around the device will be familiar to iPhone and iPod touch users, although some speculate that users will be able to use their whole hand to open programs and flick through pictures on the device. Despite 3D being one of the big technology trends for 2010, Apple isn’t thought to have jumped on the bandwagon; the tablet will be 2D only. Apps – which have proved such a success on the iPhone – should also play a big role on the tablet, with developers expected to build programs and software specifically for the new device.

What will it look like?

The Apple tablet is expected to have a 10in touch-screen, and internet connectivity over Wi-Fi and 3G. While the easiest way of visualising the device is to think of a big iPhone, Apple’s designers are likely to have come up with a new look and feel for the tablet. Early rumours that the device would feature a camera for taking photos and making video calls now seem less likely, as do hopes that the device will feature an OLED screen, a new type of display that offers exceptional picture quality and vibrant colours – Apple is likely to stick with the same LCD screens it uses on the iPhone.

What will it be used for?

Apple is in talks with a variety of publishers about getting their content on to the tablet. Expect to see digital versions of your favourite books, newspapers and magazines available on the device. If, as expected, the tablet has 3G connectivity, enabling it to access the internet over the mobile phone network, then many of these publications could feature rich multimedia content, enabling users to watch videos or listen to audio reports while reading an article, or enjoy an interview with their favourite author before they start reading their new book. Movies, music and apps should all be a key focus of the tablet, and some rumours suggest the device could even double as a home entertainment hub – streaming content from the internet to a television, or being used as a home games console.

She’s back at CTU — the new and improved New York office — this season, but she’s not quite familiar with all the latest technologies and such.

Seems that while she was off being a mommy, things changed a bit and she’s got some catching up to do.

“Katee Sackhoff’s character Dana Walsh tries to comfort me, like ‘It’s okay, you’ll catch up,’ and I just want to kill her,” Mary Lynn explains in the clip below. “I have to win over my bosses, which eventually I will, with my know-how.”

But will there be some cat fighting at CTU?

No, dude. Chloe’s better than that. Sounds as though Dana’s just going to annoy her… though there’s definitely something up with this Walsh woman, believe that.

But it’s Chloe’s other boss, the big man, Brian Hastings, that she really rubs the wrong way: “I go head-to-head with Mr. Hastings, Mykelti Williamson['s character], a little bit… He thinks I’m trouble.”

Take a look at the clip for more intel and to get another early glimpse at the new and improved CTU…