Thursday, November 19, 2009 LOS ANGELES: Films about subjects as varied as dolphin-hunting and high fashion are among documentaries hoping to be nominated for an Oscar, according to a shortlist released Wednesday.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the final five films nominated for the coveted best documentary statuette at next year's Oscars would be chosen from a shortlist of 15 films.The list includes critically acclaimed and controversial environmental thriller "The Cove", which chronicles the annual slaughter of dolphins in the Japanese coastal town of Taiji.Other nominees include "Valentino: The Last Emperor," director Matt Tyrnauer's portrait of haute couture icon Valentino Garavani and "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," about Vietnam War-era whistleblower Ellsberg.Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced on February 2 in Beverly Hills, roughly one month before the Oscars are held at Hollywood's Kodak Theater on March 7.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
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