Bubble Gum: Movie Review

The film Bubble Gum seemingly set in the same era as Sholay , starts with the onset of Holi holidays in schools and ends with the festival of colours. But this fortnight-long holiday seems stretched more than a two-month summer vacation. Nevertheless if you are patient enough to overlook the long length and slow pace of this film, Bubble Gum is quite and an endearing experience.

Bubble Gum is set in a bygone era when wall posts meant graffiti drawings and scratching on school benches. Forget Facebook and Twitter, it revives the period when there were no computers - not even television sets. But while it has a yesteryear setting, it isn't a dated product by any means. While the generation who has lived these days will easily relate to their adolescent years, even the contemporary cohort is sure to be touched by the simplicity and sincerity of the portrayal of past times in this film.

Vedant (Delzad Hiravali) is a 14-year-young school boy who is attracted towards the girl-next-door Jenny (Apoorva Arora). Neighbourhood boy Ratan (Suraj Singh) is his arch-rival as they both vie for Jenny's attention. When Vedant's deaf-and-mute elder brother Vidur (Sohail Lakhani) comes home from his hostel, their parents always show more care and concern towards their elder son for his handicap. Vedant feels ignored, though Vidur always acts like a responsible and mature boy. Vedant's infatuation with Jenny, rivalry with Ratan and miscommunication with Vidur forms the base of this bubblegum.

At first instance, Bubble Gum revives the old world charm of yesteryears - when stamp collection used to be a popular hobby, when kabaddi was a common sport, when black-and-white photographs adorned albums and when Fiat was the family car. Director Sanjeevan Lal, to a good extent, succeeds in evoking that feeling of nostalgia. With child protagonists, the film lightheartedly touches on themes like early infatuation and teenaged confrontation.

At the same time the film very maturely handles the theme of sibling antipathy that arises out of parent's preferential treatment to the handicapped son. That essentially doesn't restrict Bubble Gum to being a children's film and gives it a wider perspective. The bonding between the brothers is neither saccharine-coated nor is the younger's envy towards elder hostile. Despite their dispute, the younger always holds respect for the elder. The chase-scene between them towards the climax is very captivatingly choreographed. Even the parent's behaviour towards their children is very real. The father is paranoid while the mother is poised.

On the flipside, the pacing is slow and the runtime seems too long for a sweet-n-simple film like this. Also with the same character-conflicts being stretched through its length, the narrative kind of gets repetitive. All through its runtime, the film recurrently deals with the same character-conflicts of Vedant's infatuation with Jenny and incompatibility with Vidur. Moreover the impending Holi festival never seems to arrive till the very end.

Muneesh Sappal's production design is perfect as he aptly recreates the ambience of an elapsed era. Suresh Pai's editing could have been tighter and the film could surely have been made shorter. Anshul Chaubey does a decent job, though the cinematography is not as demanding as Udaan which captured the same industrial city of Jamshedpur in a more sparkling spirit.

Performances are a highlight with every member of cast coming up with impressive acts. Delzad Hiravali in his tousled hairdo and teenaged attitude befits the central protagonist. He is brilliant in the scene just before the interval when he confronts his parents out of frustration and anger. Using an actor who is hearing-impaired in real life could have been a difficult decision but the result shows with Sohail Lakhani being exceptionally good in his performance and body language. Suraj Singh has traits of being a potential negative lead when he grows up. Apoorva Arora is charming. Sachin Khedekar and Tanvi Azmi are convincing as the parents.

Like you tend to chew a bubble gum even long after its flavour is forgone, you are somehow glued to the film in spite of all its loose ends. The director, somehow, gets you hooked to the narrative and doesn't let the bubble gum burst.

Apple, Samsung Sold More SmartPhones than Nokia

In the second quarter Apple and Samsung both sold more smartphones than Nokia. Nokia still sold most phones overall, market researcher Strategy Analytics said Friday. Nokia's smartphone sales have plunged since its February announcement that its future smartphones will run Microsoft's Windows Phone instead of its own Symbian OS. In the second quarter, it shipped 16.7 million smartphones, down 30 percent from shipments of 23.8 million a year earlier.

In comparison, the smartphone market as a whole grew 76.3 percent year on year, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple, meanwhile, more than doubled its shipments to 20.3 million for the quarter, up from just 8.4 million a year earlier. For Samsung, the increase was even more dramatic, moving from just 3.1 million smartphones shipped in the second quarter of 2010 to 19.2 million in the second quarter this year.

That puts Apple top of the smartphone market, with an 18.5 percent share, up from second place with 13.5 percent a year earlier. Samsung is now second, with 17.5 percent, up from a third-placed 5 percent a year earlier, while Nokia's share has plummeted to 15.2 percent, from 38.1 percent a year earlier. Other manufacturers have seen their share of the smartphone market rise from 43.4 percent to 48.9 percent, Strategy Analytics said.

Nokia also fared badly in the market for feature phones, with shipments slipping to 71.8 million in the second quarter, down from 87.3 million a year earlier, according to Strategy Analytics. Other manufacturers saw similar declines, so much so that overall shipments of feature phones declined for the first time in about two years, research firm IDC said Friday.

Overall, phone shipments totalled 361.1 million in the second quarter, up from 320 million a year earlier, according to Strategy Analytics. IDC put the figure at 365.4 million, up from 328.4 million, a growth rate of 11.3 percent lower than the 13.3 percent IDC had forecast.

Overall, Nokia's phone shipments fell from 111.1 million in the second quarter last year to 88.5 million phones this year, still enough to leave it in first place, Strategy Analytics said. IDC published identical figures for Nokia's shipments on Friday, adding that Nokia had shipped 2.6 million dual-SIM feature phones in the second quarter. In previous quarters, the company's sales had suffered in markets such as India, where phones are often shared by several users and dual-SIM models are a popular way to let each user store their own address book and pay for their own calls.

The two analysts also disagreed slightly on their estimates of Samsung's total phone shipments for the second quarter, with Strategy Analytics putting it at 74 million and IDC at a more conservative 70.2 million, but the conclusion was the same: Samsung is still in second place, with a market share of 20.5 percent (IDC: 19.2 percent), almost unchanged from 19.9 percent a year earlier (IDC: 19.4 percent).

Third place for now is LG Electronics. While its smartphone sales are holding up, sales of its feature phones are dipping. Its share is now 6.9 percent according to Strategy Analytics, 6.8 percent according to IDC. LG has recently lowered its sales forecast for this year. If LG's forecast holds true then other vendors may overtake it, IDC said.

Fourth place overall is Apple: both analysts put its share at 5.6 percent, up from 2.6 percent last year. It is followed by ZTE at 5 percent (IDC: 4.5 percent), up from 3.3 percent (IDC: 3.7 percent) a year earlier. Strategy Analytics put ZTE's growth down to keen pricing of low-end 2G phones and mid-range 3G Android phones a very different market from the high-end 3G phones that Apple sells.

Even if Nokia's smartphone platform switch is a success, its feature-phone worries may not be over as low-cost suppliers such as Micromax, TCL-Alcatel and Huawei are taking its market share, IDC said.

Cleveland Clinic Scientists Says Mutant Genes Links to Esophageal Cancer

Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic says that cancer of the esophagus may not always be caused by drinking alcohol, acid reflux and smoking. They identified mutant genes in patients with a form of esophageal cancer known as esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and a precancerous condition called Barrett's esophagus.

Currently, esophageal cancer isn't diagnosed until its late stages, when radiation, chemotherapy, and other forms of treatment are unlikely to be effective. "We are absolutely thrilled to now know three distinct genes that link to BE/EAC," study leader Dr. Charis Eng, director of the clinic's Genomic Medicine Institute, said in a written statement.

"This is essential for improving risk assessment, disease management, and saving lives." Since 1970, the incidence of Barrett's esophagus has risen more than three-fold, though doctors don't know why. Esophageal cancer remains rare but is often deadly. In 2010, there were 16,640 new cases and 14,500 deaths.

In addition to smoking, drinking, acid reflux, and the suspect genes, risk factors include being male, being age 65 or older, being obese, and possibly eating a diet that's low in fruits and vegetables. Symptoms include difficulty swallowing, pain upon swallowing, pain in the chest or back, weight loss, heaertburn, and hoarseness. The research was published in the July 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Fifth Accuser in Eddie Long Sexual Misconduct Case

The Georgia mega church pastor, Eddie Long, who settled out of court with four young men who accused him of sexual misconduct, may have faced allegations from a fifth accuser, Fox 5 Atlanta is reporting. The news station aired and published a story on its Web site Wednesday evening on the outcome of their seven-week investigation of the case.

The FOX 5 I-Team has uncovered that there was a fifth accuser in the Bishop Eddie Long sexual misconduct case. He never filed a lawsuit and his name was kept a secret, but Centino Kemp’s allegations of sexual misconduct against Bishop Long brought him front and center into the recent settlement negotiations.

Long faced accusations that he “abused his spiritual authority to seduce (teenage boys) with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities.” Later details reported in the Christian Post said that the married father of four “admitted to mentoring the men and sharing rooms with them while on trips, but denied any sexual activity took place.”

In a 2010 sermon addressing the accusations, Long said, “I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man.” But, he added to cheers from his congregation, “I am not the man that’s being portrayed on the television. . . This thing, I’m gonna fight.”

B.J. Bernstein, attorney for the original four plaintiffs, said in a statement in May: “The matter has been resolved. Neither attorney Bernstein nor the plaintiffs themselves will be available for interview on this matter, now or in the future,” making it unlikely that the truth of what happened between Long and his accusers will become public.

Kyle Orton Expects Broncos Talks to Miami About Deal

Kyle Orton, the Lame-duck Denver quarterback met with the media in Denver on Thursday after he practiced with the Broncos and he said he expects to be the starter in Denver despite the fact the Broncos have been talking to Miami about a deal.

However, the deal has hit a snag. The Denver Post reported that Orton looked much better than second-year quarterback Tim Tebow in practice Thursday. “There’s a lot of stuff that goes on business-wise, and I really don’t take any hard feelings or anything like that,” Orton said in quotes released by the Broncos. “I’m excited to be here. I had a lot of fun out there with my teammates today. I’m excited to have a great year."

He said his current expectation is to be the Broncos’ starter. “I expect to be here,” Orton said. “I expect to be the starter here and go out there and play the best football of my career.” Orton didn’t sound worried about losing his job to Tebow. “That’s not the sense that I get,” Orton said. “I’m out there competing and I like my chances if that’s my case.”

Denver coach John Fox wouldn’t say much about the Orton trade talks. “I think out of respect for the players, and just the way we handle things, I’m not going to discuss internal discussions from the building publicly,” Fox said. “That’s the way I’ve always operated, and I think as an organization, we want to do it out of respect.

We’ll have plenty of discussions moving forward. Anything we can do as an organization in our minds to improve our team we will do, but that’s not this, as it relates to Kyle Orton." The talks with the Dolphins are well documented and a deal can still get done. If not, Orton seems prepared to be the Broncos’ starter. As I wrote earlier Thursday, whatever happens, it needs to be done quickly.

Cowboys and Aliens Movie Review

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly magazine filed the following review. "Cowboys and Aliens", from the director of the hit superhero flick "Iron Man", should have been brainless fun, but it’s mostly just brainless.

When a high-powered summer sci-fi action thriller is called “Cowboys and Aliens,” it’s a safe bet that audiences can plan to spend two hours watching cowboys and aliens. What they may hope to see, however, is a film that fuses those two familiar pop-movie elements into a genre mash-up that’s greater than the sum of its clichés.

The first half hour of “Cowboys and Aliens” is promising. The gifted director Jon Favreau, coming off the two “Iron Man” films, stages a kind of mini-Rio Bravo set in a dusty mining town ruled over by a snarling boss played by Harrison Ford.

Into this Old West town walks a man with no name, or, rather, a steel-blue-eyed gunslinger played by Daniel Craig who can’t remember his name or anything else, for that matter. He has no idea how he landed in the desert with a stab wound in his side and a weird metal bracelet locked onto his wrist, but he sure knows how to stare down the local cutthroats.

Just as the barroom hokum gets going, a spaceship lit up like something out of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” looms in the night sky. There’s nothing friendly about these visitors, and nothing audiences haven’t seen before, either, in a hundred alien-invasion potboilers. “Cowboys and Aliens” doesn’t treat its war of the worlds as spectacular comedy or as innovative action, and the whole aliens-on-the-frontier incongruity never comes to much.

What “Cowboys and Aliens” particularly lacks is a good story. Basically, the characters must put aside their differences to form a posse and defeat the invaders. Even with Daniel Craig’s edgy charisma, it’s hard to care about anyone on the screen. The movie has fun moments, but it’s a plodding entertainment because it mostly tastes like leftovers.

Speak Asia COO Tarak Bajpai Detained by Mumbai Police

Economic Offenses Wing of the Mumbai police detained Speak Asia COO Tarak Bajpai for questioning on Friday. The online survey company hit controversy in a multi-crore scam.

The move comes just two days after CID froze the online survey company's bank accounts. Bajpai, who is the most prominent face of the online survey company's India operations will be flown from Indore to Mumbai.

Speak Asia is being investigated for a multi-level fraud. FIRs and PILs have been filed against it. The company has maintained that it collects money only for its online magazine and that the survey is just a benefit.

Kirit Somaiya said that three other officials of speak Asia are likely to be arrested soon. "Pranab Mukherjee had assured me that strong action would be done at the initial stage so that such frauds do not go on. Hope Pranab Mukherjee gives some assurance in Parliament this session," he said.

Tarak Bajpai is the face of Speak Asia's India operations. He mainly handled training, communication with members and hosted the retreat for Speak Asia investors in Goa this year. The Singapore-based company Speak Asia, which is yet to be incorporated as a company in India, would be inspected under section 591 of the Companies Act, which is applicable on companies incorporated outside India and has established a place of business within the country, sources said.

The company charges a membership fee is Rs 11,000 for a year. The members are expected to conduct online surveys for clients of the firm. Members are paid for conducting the surveys. The company said that it pays Rs 500 for every survey to its member.

AWOL soldier Found Bomb-Making Materials Arrested in Texas

An AWOL soldier was arrested in Texas near Fort Hood after authorities found potential bomb-making materials and at least one gun in the suspect's motel room, a federal law enforcement official said. Both officials asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Authorities were alerted to Abdo, who was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, after he visited the same gun store in Killeen, Texas, where Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan obtained a gun prior to the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, one of the officials said.

Greg Ebert, a former police officer who works at the Guns Galore shop, said Abdo acted suspiciously when he went to the store Tuesday afternoon to buy 6 pounds of gun powder. "First of all, the youngster arrives in a taxi cab and wants to buy something he knows nothing about," Ebert said.

"There was very little conversation. The kid was downright rude," he said. "I thought it would be a good thing to call it in to police. We're just grateful that the authorities responded as quickly as they did," Ebert said. FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said there was no evidence to indicate that others were working with the suspect.

"Whatever threat (Abdo) posed yesterday is resolved," Vasys said. Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said Abdo was arrested just after 2 p.m. Wednesday. She said "suspicious materials" were later recovered in Abdo's room at Americas Best Value Inn. Smith said the inn was evacuated for several hours during the search as a precaution.

At the time of the arrest, Abdo already had been charged by the military with possessing child pornography and was awaiting trial, Army spokesman Troy Rolan said. Smith said Abdo was being held in Killeen without bail on a warrant issued by the military, pending the outcome of a federal investigation into the alleged threats against fellow soldiers and the materials recovered from his motel room.

Abdo was reported AWOL on July4 from Fort Campbell, according to Army records. Attorney James Branum said Thursday that he represented Abdo on the pornography charges and during the soldier's successful effort to obtain conscientious objector status, which was approved in May 2011.

His discharge had been delayed, however, pending the outcome of the child pornography charges brought by the military soon after. Branum, who is not representing Abdo on this latest arrest in Killeen, said his client believed the military issued the pornography charges to block his discharge as a conscientious objector.

The attorney said the infantryman claimed objector status based on his Muslim faith, as he faced the prospect of deployment to Afghanistan. He said his client had "reclaimed" his faith after joining the military in March 2009. "I don't know what to think of this stuff," Branum said of Abdo's arrest.

Justin Bieber Tattoo and Girlfriend Selena Gomez Hot Pictures, Justin bieber Hawaii Beach Kissing 2011 Photos

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So You Think You Can Dance: The Results Recap

Welcome to The Results of So You Think You Can Dance. Two more dancers are sent home, bringing us down to six dancers. We are two weeks away from our finale.

The show opens with a circus themed group dance that Cat said brought tears to her eyes. It is so different and incredible.

RESULTS

The girls are called to the stage first. They are given montages of their dances from last night and then are told where they stand.

Sasha is Safe
Melanie is Safe
Jordan is in the Bottom Four
Caitlynn is in the Bottom Four

The guys are called to the stage next and we are given a recap of their performances.

Marko is Safe
Jess is in the Bottom Four
Ricky is Safe
Tadd is in the Bottom Four

LXD performs. Again, all this good dancing takes breath away. Some Dance Day videos which include little kids, Nappy Tabs, adults and Donny Osmond, who gets thousands dancing on the Las Vegas strip. This is wonderful, not only because it shows how fun dancing is, but it also encourages people particularly kids to get up and move.

Solos are next. Each dancer proves how hard it is going to be to see them go. Everyone is just so good. It cannot even predict who is staying or going this time. Lady Gaga performs. Not only is she immensely talented, but she also isn't afraid to be herself. She does her own thing and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her.

The judges come back from deliberation to announce who is going home. The girls are called to the stage first. Nigel talks to them about their performances and future. Sadly, it is the end of the line for Jordan. She is given a montage of her time on the show before she says goodbye.

The boys are called to the stage next. They get some words of wisdom from Nigel and then are told that Jess is going home. He is also given clips of his time on the show before his exit.

Vince Young Agrees One-Year Deal with Eagles

Vince Young cut by the Titans and unwanted by any team has agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles, according to NFL Network.

Earlier Thursday, CBSSports.com reported that Young was “a virtual certainty” to sign with the Eagles as Michael Vick’s backup. The Titans released Young on Thursday, but teams cannot contact him until he clears waivers.

The Eagles traded Kevin Kolb to the Cards earlier Thursday, opening up a spot for an experienced backup quarterback.

Young, 28, had a 30-17 record in 47 starts with the Titans. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2006, when he went 8-5, and again in 2009, when he was 8-2.

Despite his lofty won-loss record, Young’s career numbers are mediocre – 42 touchdowns, 42 interceptions and a 75.5 passer rating, which is fourth-worst of the 30 NFL quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 1,000 passes since 2006 ahead of only Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kerry Collins and Derek Anderson.

His 57.9 completion percentage during the same period is also fourth-worst ahead of Alex Smith, Collins and Anderson. The Eagles had no immediate comment on the report.

Jesse James Ex- Wife Arrested for Harassment

Janine Lindemulder, Jesse James' ex wife and mother to his child, was arrested for harassment two days after Jesse James was awarded custody of their daughter.

Jesse is having some girl problems, from his split from superstar Sandra Bullock to his recent break-up with Kat Von D, and now his ex is harassing him over a custody battle. Maybe Jesse should spend some time on himself to find out why he has a pattern of failed relationships.

Janine was arrested earlier in the year, and was ordered not to harass or annoy Jesse further. She reportedly called him close to 30 times, and that was enough to get picked up by police and taken to jail.

Jesse has a lot on his plate at the moment and his daughter should be the first thing on his mind. He gained full custody so he must be doing something right, hopefully, for the child's sake. If Janine keeps harassing Jesse James, she could find herself in jail for a while.

Kat Von D Cancelled Entire Publicity Tour

Kat Von D, the celebrity tattoo artist, is not "strong enough" to face the press following her broken engagement to Jesse James. So she has cancelled her entire publicity tour.

The star, who was due to promote the new series of her reality show L.A. Ink across America this summer, walked out on a TV interview on Wednesday, moments before she was due to go live, after learning she would be quizzed about her break-up. The incident prompted Von D to axe the tour altogether to concentrate on mending her broken heart.

In a post on her Facebook.com page later on Wednesday, she wrote, "Today was really hard for me. And no ones (sic) to blame other than myself... Tomorrow the new season of LA Ink starts and I admit I'm not strong enough to do all the press I committed to doing for the show. Today was a perfect example of that...

"Ratings. Sales. Publicity. The amount of followers I have on twitter.None of those things matters to me. Watch the show or don’t watch it. Whether people tune in or not doesn't change my best efforts or the quality of what I do, because when you make something for the sake of putting good out into the universe, the payback comes from a much more fulfilling place than any man made form of payment." Von D and James confirmed their split on Tuesday.

A.J. Green Agrees Four-Year Contract

A.J. Green, Wide receiver, the Bengals' first-round draft choice, has agreed to terms on a four-year contract and should be on hand Friday, when Cincinnati opens camp in Kentucky.

The contract is fully guaranteed, a team source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Financial details were not available.

The move came just a few hours after the Bengals parted ways with wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who will call New England home this season.

The 6-foot-4, 211-pound Green, 22, is a native of Summerville, S.C., and was taken No. 4 overall by Cincinnati. In his freshman season at Georgia, he had 56 catches, 963 yards and eight touchdowns, and he followed that up in 2009, with 47 catches, 751 yards and six TDs.

Last season, after serving a four-game suspension, he totaled 57 catches, 848 yards and nine TDs before declaring for the NFL draft.

Brad Smith Joins the Buffalo Bills

Brad Smith made his decision to join the Buffalo Bills. Thursday, the University of Missouri graduate agreed to join the Bills for a four-year contract worth approximately $15 million.

“Relief is what I felt first,” said Smith who for five years has been a wide receiver/quarterback/kick returner for the New York Jets. “Honestly, it’s not been a long process, but it’s been kind of stressful, hearing from different teams, keeping late hours.

“But once we — my wife Rosalyn and I — made the decision, then it’s been exciting.” After playing quarterback at Missouri, Smith was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Listed as a wide receiver, the Jets also used him on occasion as quarterback to run a wildcat package. Smith has 64 career receptions for 557 yards and eight touchdowns. He also compiled 767 rushing yards and 51 passing yards.

As a kick returner, he compiled 1,968 yards. Last season, he returned two kicks for touchdowns including a 97-yarder at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field on Dec. 19 when the Jets defeated the Steelers, 22-17. Like the Steelers — who defeated the Jets in the AFC championship game on Jan. 23 — the Jets took advantage of the last year’s uncapped season to load up on wide receivers. Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery as well as tight end Dustin Keller were quarterback Mark Sanchez’s main targets.

Wednesday, the Jets reached an agreement for Holmes on a five-year deal worth approximately $50 million including $24 million guaranteed. Edwards is a free agent. Smith isn’t surprised that he and Edwards were available. “The new [salary] cap number is a lot lower than people expected,” said Smith of the $120 million cap for 2011. “Only so many guys can command those numbers,” he said referring to the Holmes contract.

Smith said his final decision was between the Bills and two other teams he declined to reveal. “It’s a tremendous opportunity,” said Smith of playing for the Bills. “I had a great conversation with head coach Chan Gailey about his vision for the team and myself. The Bills have a lot of great, young talent.”

Smith agrees that moving to a division rival (the Jets and Bills are in the AFC East) will be interesting. “I have a lot of love for the Jets, it’s been my home for five seasons and they gave me a great start,” Smith said. “Sometimes you have to make tough decisions.” Smith can sign with the Bills today but can’t practice until next Thursday. One of his new teammates is wide receiver Donald Jones who played for Youngstown State.

New Photos of Twixt Released

New photos of Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming gothic mystery tale 'Twixt,' have just been released, showing Val Kilmer and Bruce Dern conferring over a corpse, and Kilmer's writer character with his ghostly guides, Elle Fanning and Edgar Allan Poe (Ben Chaplin).

Those of us were at Comic-Con for Coppola's "live" version of his film haven't just seen these images, we had them burned into our consciousness while Coppola tested different edits of the same five or six scenes.

While many fans seemed to get a kick out of Coppola's disorganized on-the-fly approach, there's really only so many times you can watch Kilmer's novelist character rewrite the same sentence without needing a belt of his bourbon.

Travis Pastrana Breakes Foot and Ankle at the X Games 17

The action sports star Travis Pastrana failed again and broke his right foot and ankle on Thursday at the X Games 17 in downtown Los Angeles, which puts into question his participation in other events this weekend.

His injury occurred during the Moto X Best Trick final when Pastrana crash-landed on a dirt ramp in Staples Center after trying to flip and spin his dirt bike 720 degrees in the air, a trick he calls a "toilet paper roll."

He had to be helped off the field and X-rays at a nearby hospital later revealed the injury. It's unclear if he'll be able to participate in Moto X Freestyle on Friday night or in Sunday's Rally Car Rally Cross event. It's also unclear if Pastrana will be able to race in a NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Indianapolis event Saturday, as he was scheduled.

"I spent the last week at his place and spending time with him and his trainer, I realized how much time and effort he's put into that trick," said Josh Sheehan, who was the bronze medalist in the Moto X Best Trick event. "I'm really bummed for him because he had it so close."

Jackson Strong won gold medal in the event with the first front flip in its history.
His score of 95.66 was enough for him to edge Cameron Sinclair (94.66) and Sheehan (93.33).

Chicago Bears Traded Greg Olsen to the Carolina Panthers

When the Chicago Bears traded former Wayne Hills High School All-American Greg Olsen to the Carolina Panthers, the National Football League Free Agency feeding frenzy took on a local twist on Thursday afternoon.

The Bears traded Olsen to the Panthers for a player and an unspecified draft pick. On Wednesday evening, Olsen's availability was made public when the veteran tight-end's agent Drew Rosenhaus reportedly e-mailed the league saying that the Bears were willing to deal Olsen, who already reported to training camp down in Bourbonnais, IL.

Olsen, who was the Bears' first-round draft pick in 2007 out of the University of Miami, is entering his final year of his rookie contract and is expected to ink a new deal with the Panthers when both sides can agree after 6 p.m. Friday ET under NFL guidelines. Olsen's days with the Bears appeared to be numbered when former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz, a passing savant, was appointed offensive coordinator in 2010.

Last season, Olsen put up his lowest numbers since his rookie season, catching 41 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns as the Bears advanced to the NFC championship game, losing to eventual Super Bowl champions Green Bay Packers, 21-14. Olsen averaged 23.8 yards per catch in the 2010 playoffs, and since 2009, he ranks sixth in receiving touchdowns by a tight end (20). He's second among tight ends in franchise history with 20 career scoring grabs.

The move makes sense to Olsen's father, Chris, who coached the 6-foot-5, 255-pound All-American at Wayne Hills. "I spoke to [Drew] Rosenhaus just a few moments ago and it's officially a done deal," said Chris Olsen from his home via telephone on Thursday evening. "Greg's really excited about it and looking forward to the move."

Olsen will reunite with new Panthers offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Rob Chudzinski, who recruited Olsen at the University of Miami while in high school. Chudzinski, who was hired by the Panthers earlier this year, was on the San Diego Chargers staff last season helping the Chargers rank No. 1 in the NFL in total offense as assistant head coach/tight ends coach.

A standout tight end on the University of Miami teams that won national titles in 1987 and 1989, Chudzinski has worked with tight ends since beginning his coaching career at his alma mater in 1994. He mentored former Hurricane standout tight ends Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow II and Bubba Franks in his 10 seasons in southern Florida, which included three seasons as offensive coordinator (2001-03) before moving on to the NFL.

In addition to Chudzinski, Olsen will reunite with former college teammate and close friend Jon Beason, an All-Pro linebacker for the Panthers. Olsen will report to Panthers training camp on Friday at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. with practice opening on Saturday, July 30 according to the Carolina Panthers team website.

He's expected to assume the same role with the Panthers, used as a key blocking tight end on the edge in run formations and as a pass catcher for young quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Heisman Trophy winner and former Georgia standout Cam Newton, the first overall pick of the NFL draft this past April.

The Panthers open the preseason on August 13 when they host the New York Giants at Bank of America Stadium. The regular-season schedule also features a twist for Olsen as the Panthers visit the Bears at Soldier Field in Week 4 on Oct. 4. The Panthers also play the Tennessee Titans at home in Week 10 on Nov. 13, with former Passaic County coaching legend and Passaic Valley coach Chet Parlavecchio on the sidelines as an assistant coach with the Titans.

Olsen enters his fifth season with 194 receptions for 1,981 yards and 20 touchdowns. Career highlights include a three reception, 113-yard and one touchdown performance against the Seattle Seahawks as the Bears won their first playoff game of the 2010 postseason.

Earlier this month, Olsen was in Wayne assisting his father Chris at his annual Olsen's Back to Basics Youth Football Camp, where Rosenhaus and a host of other former and present standout players attended. Olsen, 26, and his wife Kara recently became parents when Kara gave birth to their first child, Tate on June 6.

Chad Ochocinco to New England Patriots

The Cincinnati Bengals traded wide receiver Chad Ochocinco to New England Patriots

The New England Patriots on Thursday worked out a trade with Cincinnati to acquire wide receiver Chad Ochocinco for two late-round draft picks, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Chad Ochocinco, who had one year and $6 million left on his Bengals contract, reportedly agreed to a new three-year deal to facilitate the trade to New England.

The six-time Pro Bowler had not been shy in relaying his fondness for New England head coach Bill Belichick, saying last year Belichick "has a lot of respect for me in my game and I have a lot of respect for him in everything he's done as a coach.

"We just became really close and fond of each other's work," Ochocinco added. "He's one that I look up to tremendously, one that I've never played for, but I show the same respect as if he was my own head coach."

Belichick reciprocated the sentiment saying, "I like his enthusiasm and the fun he has with football, and I like how he competes on the football field. I have a lot of respect for that. [We're] an odd couple, but in the end I think we have a lot of things in common."

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, who was involved in a few verbal spats with Ochocinco last season that bordered on the playful to downright serious, gave his two cents in January on the chances of his veteran receiver getting shipped off to New England.

"Belichick's smarter than that," Lewis said, drawing a laugh from the two or three reporters in attendance.

Whether the Patriots coach is not as smart as Lewis believed remains to be seen. But with quarterback Tom Brady gaining a veteran weapon in the 33-year-old Ochocinco and New England coming to terms earlier in the day with former All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, teams in the AFC have to be worried about the Patriots' prospects in 2011.

Shortly after news broke on the trade, Ochocinco, who is rarely short of words, wrote "God is so Good" on his Twitter account.

In 10 seasons with Cincinnati, Ochocinco has amassed a 10,783 receiving yards -- the most in franchise history. He also leads the Bengals' organization in career receptions and touchdowns.