Luke Skywalker plans £5m film based on his own comic

London, May 18 (ANI): Star Wars actor Mark Hamill is aiming to make a new live action film, which will be adapted from his own comic.

The 58-year-old, who played Luke Skywalker in three of George Lucas”s movies, is to bring to life his comic book mini-series ‘The Black Pearl’.

The announcement of the 5-million-pound project was made at the Cannes Film Festival.

Hamill, who is known for TV roles and voiceovers since his Star Wars days, originally planned to release the story as a movie, but ended up publishing it as a comic book.

An ardent comic fan, he has also made a documentary Comic Book: The Movie, as well as voicing comic characters such as The Joker in computer games.

In Black Pearl, a loner raised on violent films and comics takes justice into his own hands after a neighbour is kidnapped.

“It”s a dark and raw suspense thriller, a prowling de-glamorisation of the usual mega-budget Hollywood revenge fantasy with an edgy, real-world documentary style,” The Mirror quoted him as saying. (ANI)

Manchester City stadium ‘target of loner’s Columbine-style massacre plot’

London, Sep.8 (ANI): A teenage loner accused of plotting a Columbine-style gun massacre at his school also considered targeting Manchester City’s stadium.

According to The Sun, Matthew Swift, 18, was said to have sent his idea in a computer message to 16-year-old co- accused Ross McKnight.

A jury at Manchester Crown Court heard how he told McKnight: “I was thinking of targets to attack – like the City stadium.”

Both teens allegedly plotted a killing spree at Audenshaw High School, Manchester, on the tenth anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

Swift also wrote in a diary: “I cannot wait for Judgment Day. It is going to be awesome.” he friends deny conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions.

The trial continues. (ANI)

UK court told white supremacist planned tennis ball bomb attacks

London, June 30 (ANI): A white supremacist, who allegedly planned to attack ‘non-British’ people with tennis ball bombs, was on the verge launching a campaign of terror, a British court has been told.

According to Sky News, Neil Lewington had allegedly developed a bomb production line in his bedroom and had a notebook entitled “Waffen SS UK members’ handbook” with drawings of electronics and chemical mixtures.

The 43-year-old was arrested by chance at Suffolk’s Lowestoft station last year after drinking and smoking on the train and urinating in public.

His hold all bag was searched and was found to contain the “component parts of two viable improvised incendiary devices”, prosecutor Brian Altman told the Old Bailey.

“He had the parts which, if assembled together, would have created devices which if ignited would have caught alight and caused flames and fire.

“Later searches of the house where the defendant lived with his parents in Reading, in particular his own bedroom, revealed nothing short of a factory for the production of many such similar devices.

Lewington was a loner who had met girlfriends using the Internet and mobile phone chat lines, going by the names of Aristocrat or Amadeus, the court heard.

Altman said he had made racist remarks and spoke to one woman of attacking an Asian family living on her street with homemade bombs inside tennis balls.

“Lewington was found in possession of three tennis balls and a diagram showing how to convert them into shrapnel bombs,” said the counsel.

Lewington, who lived with his parents in Tilehurst, Reading, Berks, is accused of preparing for terrorism by having the bomb parts in a public place.

He also faces two charges of having articles for terrorism – including a weed killer, firelighters and three tennis balls – two of having documents for terrorism and another of collecting information for terrorism.

Lewington denies all eight charges. The trial continues. (ANI)

Taylor Swift was a loner in junior high school

Washington, May 27 (ANI): Taylor Swift may have crowds falling at her feet now, but the popular young country artist did not have many friends during her high school days.

The 19-year-old singer, who recently kicked off her “Fearless” tour and entertained thousands at the sold-out Staples Center in Los Angeles, said she was an outsider during junior high.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have friends in junior high,” Fox News quoted her as saying.

“Being an outsider gave me time to think … But there was a time when my greatest fear was not fitting in at school; I never thought I would be here with a sold-out Staples Center,” she added.

The Love Story hitmaker, who later teamed up with admirer John Mayer onstage, further revealed her signature treatment to deal with heart-breaking beaus, saying she is not the “only girl that burns ex boyfriends’ pictures.”

She added: “If you break my heart, hurt my feelings or mess with friends I’ll have to write a song about you.” (ANI)

Money troubles leave ‘millionaire’ boxer Eubank homeless, alone

London, Apr 12 (ANI): Fallen millionaire boxer Chris Eubank’s money troubles have left him homeless and alone.

The once swaggering former world middleweight champion has been forced to swap his lavish ways for a sad, lonely life in a hotel room, News of the World reported.

The 42-year-old dandy-who earned more than 35million pounds from the ring-has lived at the hotel in Brighton for four months because he has no other place to stay.

Hotel Staff says that he is a loner who sips lime and sodas in the hotel bar, then surfs the internet in his room at night.

Lisping Eubank was a hero to millions of British boxing fans in the 1990s. But the Inland Revenue delivered him a knockout blow in 2005, when he was declared bankrupt owing 1.3 million pounds in unpaid taxes.

Once so rich he used Evian water to wash his hands at petrol stations, Eubank now treats himself to sweets from Tesco’s across the street from his 149 pounds-a-night MyHotel pad in the Sussex town.

“We don’t think of him as a guest any more, he lives here. He’ll talk to fans and sign autographs. But we never see him taking a woman up to his room. Sometimes he’ll get a massage in the hotel spa. Other than that, he keeps to himself.”

Eubank was attracted by the hotel’s New Age theme. It has a feng shui design to “refresh your soul” and rooms have a decor of crystals and lotus flowers.

He was forced to move there after selling his 4million pounds Brighton mansion and another 850,000 pounds former home in nearby Hove to pay off his debts.

Last year ex-wife Karron, 43, told how Chris had begun globetrotting to exotic spots. But now he has been deserted by his circle of hangers-on and is having to watch every penny. (ANI)

Geri Halliwell’s stalker fear

London, April 10 (ANI): Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is said to be terrified after being targeted by a crazed stalker.

The singer has tightened security at her north London house to protect herself and two-year-old daughter Bluebell from the loner, who hangs around outside at all hours.

Halliwell also had to change her phone number after constant nuisance calls.

“Geri has become increasingly concerned over recent months. This individual has been loitering around her home almost continually and it’s really upsetting and scaring her,” the Sun quoted a friend, as saying.

“Her burglar alarm has gone off a number of times when she’s been out and she’s worried about her and Bluebell’s safety.

“The phone was ringing at all hours of the day and night so she had to get a new number,” the friend added.

This isn’t the first time Halliwell, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, has been threatened.

Last year in June, she was abused by a raving woman at a glitzy bash in London.

A source said: “Geri is acutely aware that life in the public eye brings with it certain unwelcome elements.

“She has been in the spotlight for around 15 years so knows perfectly well that some members of the public can get a little too devoted.

“When she was in the Spice Girls they were trailed night and day by obsessional fans.

“But this latest episode is a little more serious than that and she’s not prepared to take any risks with her daughter’s wellbeing,” the source added. (ANI)

Victorian opener Chris Rogers backed to be an Ashes team player

Melbourne, Mar.13 (ANI): After scoring over 1000 first class runs in the 2008-09 season and being recognized as Australia’s One Day Player of the Year, Victoria’s Chris Rogers is being rated as a possibility for the upcoming Ashes tour in England.

If he scores again in the Sheffield Shield final against Queensland starting at the Junction Oval today, he could make the national grade as the third opener in the Ashes touring party – a position his coach Greg Shipperd and skipper Cameron White agree is Rogers for the taking.

Shipperd, according to the Herald Sun, has also cleared up the misconception that Rogers hasn’t been picked for Australia because he is a dressing room loner.
“Our estimation of him is that he’s a true professional and a real giver in the dressing room. He’s been an outstanding acquisition to our team,” Shipperd said.
White agreed entirely.

“He (Rogers) would be the obvious choice. Knowing that he’s done well over there in all forms of the game over the past number of years,” White said.

“He’s experienced and played in English conditions for six or seven years now and done exceptionally well opening the batting.”

“So if they are after someone in form in Australia and making lots of runs, opens the batting and knows England, it would make a lot of sense to choose Chris Rogers. As far as Chris fitting into our group, he’s only bettered it – on and off the field.

“He’s given us a lot more than the thousand runs you’ve seen on the field, he’s embraced our culture and improved our group on and off the field. He’s a quality player and a quality bloke.” (ANI)