Culture

Dark Floors, a horror film under production in Northern Finland and starring the hard rock band Lordi (who are famed for their monster costumes and lyrical themes), has received €300,000 (£200,000) funding from the Finnish government. Lordi are also famed for their record-breaking 292 point victory in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with their song Hard Rock Hallelujah. It was also the first time a hard rock song had won the contest, and Finland's first ever victory. The film is being shot in English, with a largely Finnish cast, and has a p

<noinclude> "Bob from Sesame Street", actor and singer Bob McGrath, visited Sesame Place this Sunday for singing and book reading. One of the last remaining cast members from the 1969 first season, he is an accomplished singer with six children's albums to his credit, he performs family pop concerts and has appeared with more than 100 symphony orchestras in the U.S. and Canada. McGrath has authored eight books including Uh-Oh Gotta Go and Oops, Excuse Me Please. Sesame Place opened for the season in May, adding Abby Cadabby to its cast of lif

The High Commission of Canada in South Africa is not granting ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a visa to enter Canada. Her daughter, Zindzi Mandela, and two security guards were granted a visa. There is no word as to why Canadian officials refused, but sources speculate that her conviction for being involved in the death of a 14-year-old activist, and other incidents, could be factors. Madikizela-Mandela is a figure of debate because her supporters in the struggle against apartheid were violent. In 1991, she was convicte

<noinclude> __NOTOC__ Following a world premiere during the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, the latest film by Thai auteur Pen-Ek Ratanaruang made its Thailand premiere on Tuesday night in a screening for the press and celebrities. Before the screening of the new film, Ploy, the director and his stars took the rostrum for a question-and-answer session, during which Pen-Ek pulled out a digital camera and took photos of the presenter, the press and the actors. Film plot Ploy is a drama film, about a middle-aged Thai-America

<noinclude> The Cyprus-born, Greek actor Sotiris Moustakas died suddenly today in Athens, Greece. During rehearsals Moustakas felt unwell and was transferred to a private hospital in Athens. He was taken to the intensive care unit, but he passed away, early in the morning. He was 67 years old. Sotiris Moustakas was born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1940. In the 1960s Moustakas began working in Greece, performing in movies, plays and television shows. Moustakas became famous after his small role as the village idiot, Mimithos, in the Hollywood mo

<noinclude> A Dutch reality TV show broadcast yesterday evening which was designed to show a terminally ill woman choosing a patient to receive her kidneys has been shown to be a hoax. The Big Donor Show had attracted considerable condemnation earlier in the week when outline details had been released. The producers said that the programme was made to highlight the shortage of Dutch donors. The "donor", known only as "Lisa", was an actress, although the three individuals competing for the kidneys are real patients requiring kidney transplants

<noinclude> A semi-tractor carrying 9,000 gallons (34,000 litres) of liquid butane overturned at the weekend on the United States highway 50 east of Salida, Colorado, rupturing the tank and spilling its contents. The road was closed to traffic for 20 hours during one of the busiest times of the year, and traffic rerouted along a three-hour diversion route. Colorado State Patrol reports state the driver, Roger Meely, 62, was hauling a pressurised tank full of butane when he lost control and crashed near Mile Marker 228. Colorado State Patrol

<noinclude> New Zealander Folole Muliaga died Tuesday morning after Mercury Energy cut off the power in her household due to $168.40 of unpaid bills. Mrs Folole Muliaga was seriously ill and dependent on an oxygen life support machine that required electricity to run. The 44-year-old died two and a half hours after the power was cut by a contractor, working for State Owned Enterprise, Mercury Energy. A spokesperson for Mercury Energy has said that they are devastated and deeply sympathetic by the news, but state they did not know that the pow

<noinclude> Arnold Schwarzenegger, the current governor of California, started his three day visit to Canada yesterday. Upon arrival at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Schwarzenegger was met with Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins. He arrived at the Delta Chelsea hotel in downtown Toronto, where Canadian reporters waited to ask him questions. At a Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store, workers and shoppers were stunned to see the former actor, who came to promote California wine with LCBO c

<noinclude> Oldbury nuclear power station in South Gloucestershire, England caught fire today after overheating. No-one was injured in the blaze which is believed to have been an accident and was extuinguished within minutes by an automatic sprinkler system. The fire took place on the non-nuclear side of the plant, in an electricity transformer, but prompted shutdown of the reactor for the foreseeable future in "accordance with standard procedure," said Dan Gould, spokesman for the British Nuclear Group. He also stressed that there was no rel

<noinclude> Finnish hard rock band Lordi are to star in a horror movie called Dark Floors. The film is written in English and began filming earlier this month and will premier in Finland late this year. The film has a budget of 3-4 million euros. Lordi are famed for their monster costumes and lyrical themes. The band, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with Hard Rock Hallelujah, stated at the time they would like to star in a horror movie. They were one of a number of people promoting their films at the Cannes Film Festival this weeken

<noinclude> In an unofficial move by contractor, Roy Harding, a rubbish tip has been named after comedian John Cleese, dubbed "Mt. Cleese" in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The naming came after Mr Cleese visited Palmerston North last year and described it as a great place to go to commit suicide, claiming it was the "suicide capital of New Zealand". He also stated that they were glad to leave after their performance at the Regent on Broadway was over. Mr Harding says it is just to get back at Mr Cleese. Official signage is now being ordered