'The advice he gave me, it's already affected the way I've been in the studio,' the Bawse tells MTV News. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Rick Ross and Dr. Dre Photo: MTV News
There is no rap producer more revered than Dr. Dre.
From N.W.A and Snoop Dogg to Eminem and 50 Cent, the legendary hip-hop producer has jump-started the careers of some of the game's greatest artists. In addition to cultivating new talent in the studio, he has also crafted hits with heavyweights like Jay-Z, Nas and Tupac. And next up is the Bawse.
On January 25, Rick Rosstweeted a picture of himself in the studio with DJ Khaled and Dre; while Rozay wouldn't say exactly what the trio was working on, it's clear that Dre had a profound impact.
"It was amazing, my brother," Ross told MTV News' Sway in Miami over the weekend. "We had the opportunity to just first and foremost touch base like bosses. We went out, we had dinner, we just discussed ideas and that led to the studio."
The ever-calculating Ross didn't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but working with Dre has already changed his work habits, he said. "The advice he gave me, it's already affected the way I've been in the studio for the last week," Rozay said. "So let's just say he's full of knowledge and he's a solid guy. Most definitely that's maybe my biggest hip-hop influence in the game."
Before Ross became a marquee rap name, he was a fan. He often cites Slick Rick and the Beastie Boys as early influences, and of course Dre is part of that set. "A lot of times when you sit back and you watchin' greatness in motion, when I think back to [N.W.A's] Straight Outta Compton or [Snoop Dogg's] Doggystyle and I think about the smallest things from the skits to the way the records ended to having the opportunity to ask him about certain things about those classic albums," Ross said of his interaction with the Chronic mastermind, "to just hear the time that was put into it, and the format, it was really priceless knowledge. For him to acknowledge Maybach Music and what I'm doin' as an artist and a CEO, that was just real inspirational."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? U.S. consumer spending was flat in December as households put the largest rise in income in nine months into their savings, potentially signaling slower consumption early in 2012.
It was the weakest reading on spending since June, the Commerce Department said on Monday, and it followed two tepid gains in October and November.
Still, economists were cautiously optimistic that rising wages as labor markets improve will keep demand supported.
"I do believe there is some underlying trend that gives us some reason to feel a little bit better about what lies ahead regarding spending, and the main reason is the labor market," said Anthony Karydakis, chief economist at Commerzbank in New York.
U.S. economic growth quickened in the fourth quarter and hiring picked up, but activity is expected to soften early this year. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that the central bank was considering a further easing of monetary policy to support growth.
Economists had expected consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity to nudge up 0.1 percent, the same as in October and November.
Spending adjusted for inflation dipped 0.1 percent last month after edging up 0.1 percent in November.
U.S. financial markets ignored the report, with investors focused on the spat between Greece and Germany over budget measures for Athens. Stocks on Wall Street fell, while Treasury debt prices rallied. The dollar rose against the euro.
INCOME RELIEF
The government said on Friday that consumer spending grew at a 2 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter, a pick-up from the third quarter's 1.8 percent rate, which helped lift gross domestic product by 2.8 percent.
While an expected recession in the euro zone is expected to start weighing more heavily on U.S. activity this quarter, the economy has some underlying momentum and is not expected to contract.
Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas showed a strong rebound in factory activity in the Texas this month, with new orders the highest in six months. Employers hired more new workers and extended hours for their existing workforce.
That is good news for wages, whose sluggish growth prompted households to tap savings and credit cards to fund purchases last year. Savings last year were the smallest since 2007.
An increase in wages last month helped lift incomes 0.5 percent, the largest gain since a matching increase in March.
"If the December wage and salary gains can be sustained, households will have the ability to spend more," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.
The gains in income reflect a pick up in hiring. Nonfarm payrolls rose 200,000 in December. A report on Friday is expected to show a slight pull back in January, with employers adding 150,000 jobs, according to a Reuters survey.
Small businesses added 50,000 jobs this month after a 60,000 gain in December, according to payrolls processing firm Intuit.
WATCH THE SAVING RATE
Taking inflation into account, after-tax income rose 0.3 percent last month after being flat in November. With disposable income outstripping spending, the saving rate rose to a four-month high at 4 percent.
"We should be watching closely the behavior of the saving rate in the coming months for signs that consumers may be adopting a more defensive posture," said Commerzbank's Karydakis.
The spending report showed inflation pressures generally contained, with a price index for personal spending nudging up 0.1 percent after being flat the prior month.
In the 12 months through December, the PCE price index was up 2.4 percent - the smallest gain since April 2011.
A core inflation measure, which strips out food and energy costs, rose 0.2 percent last month after gaining 0.1 percent in November. Over the past 12 months, it was up 1.8 percent - the largest rise since March 2010 and just a touch below the Fed's 2 percent inflation target.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Neil Stempleman)
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos leaves his office after meeting the leaders of the three parties backing his coalition government in Athens on Sunday, Jan. 29 2012. Following the meeting, Papademos has released a statement saying he and the party leaders were in "complete agreement" over the positions to adopt in subsequent talks toward a 130 billion euros bailout for Greece and a bond swap agreement with private creditors. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos leaves his office after meeting the leaders of the three parties backing his coalition government in Athens on Sunday, Jan. 29 2012. Following the meeting, Papademos has released a statement saying he and the party leaders were in "complete agreement" over the positions to adopt in subsequent talks toward a 130 billion euros bailout for Greece and a bond swap agreement with private creditors. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
BRUSSELS (AP) ? Germany's chancellor has dampened her own country's controversial call to have a powerful European debt regulator who would have direct control over Greece's spending.
Angela Merkel said Monday "I believe that we are having a discussion that we shouldn't be having."
She said Europe had to support Greece in implementing promised austerity and reform measures, "But all that will only work if Greece and all other states discuss this together."
Both Greece and the European Commission over the weekend rejected a proposal tabled by Germany for a new Commissioner who could force Greece to repay debts before maintaining government services.
Other European leaders said that the Commission, the EU's executive, needed the power to block bad spending decisions, but not only in Greece but also other highly indebted countries.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
BRUSSELS (AP) ? European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth and create badly-needed jobs, which are being squeezed by steep budget cuts across the continent, when they meet in Brussels on Monday.
The 27 EU leaders on Monday will also look to find common ground on a new treay to toughen budget spending. The elephant in the room, though, will be Greece.
Greece and investors who own its bonds have come closer to a deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion bailout.
Negotiators for the investors said Saturday a debt-reduction deal could become final within the next week. If the agreement works as planned, it could help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weak financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept multibillion-dollar losses.
Still, it doesn't resolve the weakening economic conditions in Greece and other European nations as they rein in spending to get their debts under control.
Athens' euro partners have grown frustrated with its slack implementation of spending cuts and reforms almost two years after first receiving international aid.
Without an agreement, bankruptcy would loom large for Greece and raise a big question mark over the euro currency shared by 17 nations.
Another divisive issue is a German proposal that debt-ridden Greece temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts.
The idea was quickly rejected by Barroso's Commission and the government in Athens, both insisting the budget remain a national prerogative.
At the same time, the EU also has to deal with an increasingly tough labor market.
Spain's brutal unemployment rate has soared to nearly 23 percent and closed in on 50 percent for those under age 25, leaving more than 5 million people ? or almost one out of every four ? out of work as the country slides toward recession.
To help jump-start the EU toward more growth and employment, the EU Commission is proposing to the summit leaders to redirect euro82 billion in existing development funds toward countries in dire need of help to fix their labor market.
The 27 heads of state and government got a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes.
Belgium's three main unions joined hands in a 24-hour strike to protest national budgetary measures that have in part been imposed on Belgium by the EU. If the country hadn't met cost-cutting targets, financial sanctions would have been imposed.
The big question at the summit is where to find money to boost growth when debt is preoccupying everyone. The austerity measures raise taxes and cut benefits for hundreds of thousands of workers in Belgium. And Monday's strike has been mirrored in many other member states.
Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population.
"Europe has to offer jobs, social protection and perspective for the future. Otherwise it risks losing the support of its citizens," said the strike manifesto of the ACV union.
For Monday, Thalys and Eurostar bullet trains to Brussels have already been cut, one airport has been closed and Brussels international airport is expecting heavy disruption. Contingency plans have been made to get the 27 European leaders to the center of Brussels, but even then convoys could end up in choking traffic if workers block the capital's beltway during morning rush hour.
PENSACOLA, Fla.?The run-up to Florida's Republican presidential primary has already been weird, thanks in part to an extended debate over whether there should be a colony on the Moon. And on Saturday, it got a little weirder.
Stumping at a seafood restaurant here along the Gulf coast, Mitt Romney picked up the endorsement of actor Jon Voight, the star of "Midnight Cowboy" who is perhaps best known these days as the father of actress Angelina Jolie. The actor has long been active in Republican politics, stumping for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign in 2008 and traveling with Mike Huckabee to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year.
Voight told the crowd he was backing Romney because he was "strong" and "honest." He declared President Obama had "decided to follow his father's footsteps and take us to socialism."
The actor said Newt Gingrich "fell short" of being able to take on Obama. "We cannot afford another four years of rhetoric," Voight said.
While Jolie's name wasn't mentioned on the stump, Romney did manage to sneak in a reference to the actress's wild child reputation.
Explaining to the audience that he wasn't sure how to "chit chat with a famous actor" when he phoned Voight to ask for his support, Romney said he decided to talk about his kids.
"I started talking about my five boys," the candidate explained. "I said, you know, it's easier to raise boys than girls. Well, after a long pause, he says, 'Tell me about it.'"
The line got a huge laugh from the? crowd of several hundred people who turned out to see Romney stump with Voight, as well as Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Sen. John McCain, who entertained the crowd with his own stand-up routine while introducing Romney.
The Arizona senator, who trained as a pilot at the naval base in Pensacola, joked that the money he spent as a young bachelor in the city had single-handedly kept the city's economy alive. And, in a repeat of a line he often repeated on the presidential campaign trail here four years ago, McCain joked about Zsa Zsa Gabor's sex life.
Noting the other dignitaries on hand, McCain said, "I feel a bit like Zsa Zsa Gabor's fifth husband. I know what I'm supposed to do, but I don't know how to make it interesting."
A few feet away, Romney let out an awkward giggle.
"I thought we only brought one actor and comedian here today," Romney told McCain when it was his turn at the mic. "Gosh, that was quite a repartee there, senator. That was fabulous."
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What To Giftis a tough question which is backed by a difficult job to select the perfect gift for your loved one. The gift should be something very special and it should let them know how much you cared for them and depth of your love. It will be tough times ahead for you if there will be a special occasion such as birthday, Christmas or wedding anniversary. You have the large collection of jewelry, clothes and games to gift your loved ones packed with a feeling of nostalgia. Your search for a perfect birthday gift for your kid will normally last in a dozen of computer games which are preferred by new generation kids. A promise ring will be a perfect gift for your spouse which will keep you remind of all your promises to him/her. It is a romantic gift which keeps you attached towards your spouse and is a reflection of your marital bliss. Nothing will substitute a collection of books or classics as gifts, if your friend is addicted to reading and books. Online shopping portals give you a plethora of information on various gifts, their prices and details of shops. The receiver of the prizes will be thrilled in getting a present from a gifted person like you and it shows the intimacy between you and that person. Choosing a good gift depends on the type of special relation and bonding you share with the prize receiver. The large complete list of elegant gifts ranges from books and clothes to wines and mouth watering chocolates.
RAMALLAH, West Bank ? Israel is proposing to essentially turn its West Bank separation barrier into the border with a future state of Palestine, two Palestinian officials said Friday, based on their interpretation of principles Israel presented in talks this week.
The officials said Israeli envoy Yitzak Molcho told his Palestinian counterpart that Israel wants to keep east Jerusalem and consolidate Jewish settlements behind the separation barrier, which slices close to 10 percent off the West Bank. They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing strict no-leaks rules by Jordanian mediators.
The proposal would fall short of what the Palestinians seem likely to accept, especially because it would leave Jerusalem on the "Israeli" side of the border.
But it would also mark a significant step for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has spent most of his career as a staunch opponent of Palestinian independence.
And if talks advance in such a direction, it could also spell the end for his nationalist coalition, where key members would consider the abandonment of most of the West Bank ? a strategic highland and biblical heartland ? an unforgivable betrayal.
Israel has confirmed that it presented principles this week for drawing a border with a Palestinian state. But the politically charged nature of the talks ? even though they were held at a relatively low level, below that of Cabinet ministers ? was reflected in the guarded refusal by any top official to discuss details.
An Israeli government official said that as far as he knew, the information was incorrect, but declined to elaborate or go on the record, citing Jordan's demand for discretion.
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, one of the closest Cabinet ministers to Netanyahu, said he has been supporting such an offer for months, and that Israel should concentrate on preserving the large West Bank settlement blocs, close to the pre-1967 border. But he could not confirm whether the offer was in fact made.
"I do not know if (Molcho) said these words exactly, but it would be great," Meridor told The Associated Press.
The Palestinian officials ? one a senior member of the leadership ? said Molcho told the Palestinians that Israel wants to leave peacefully beside a Palestinian state.
It would be the most detailed offer yet from Netanyahu on how much he wants to keep of the lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War ? the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians want to establish their state in virtually all of these lands ? although they do seem ready to accept minor adjustments, through land swaps in which Israel keeps some of the largest settlements.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is certainly unlikely to consider a proposal that keeps east Jerusalem under Israeli control. The eastern sector of the city is home to key Jewish, Muslim and Christian sites.
And Israel's position, as described by the Palestinians, is less than what was offered by Netanyahu's predecessors, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, who were willing to discuss a partition of Jerusalem as well.
About half a million Israelis settled in east Jerusalem and the West Bank after 1967, including tens of thousands east of the barrier.
Israel started building the barrier in 2002, in the midst of a Palestinian uprising that included scores of deadly attacks by Palestinian militants who crossed from the West Bank into Israel and blew themselves up among civilians.
Israelis have generally credited the barrier ? along with other punitive measures ? with stopping the spate of incursions several years ago.
However, it was routed in a way that raised questions about Israel's claim that it was a temporary security measure ? weaving through the West Bank, looping wide around some settlements to leave room for expansion, and looking very much like a border a future Israeli government might argue for. The Palestinians condemned it from the start as a land grab.
The Palestinian officials also said that Molcho portrayed the Jordan Valley, which makes up about one-fourth of the West Bank and borders Jordan, as a strategic Israeli security asset. However, that wording suggests less than a demand for firm territorial control.
Netanyahu has said he wants a continued Israeli presence on the eastern border of a future Palestinian state as part of any peace deal.
Netanyahu has long argued Israel needs the area as a security buffer ? protection against possible attack from the east.
The 1994 peace treaty with Jordan eased this concern ? but the Arab Spring has given it new life: although it is almost never discussed by officials, mindful of riling Jordan, many in Israel ponder a nightmare scenario in which the Jordanian monarchy falls to Israel's enemies, who then pour weapons and militants into the West Bank, reaching within miles (kilometers) from its major cities.
A senior Israeli military official said last week the Israeli army had to consider in its planning the possibility of heightened threats from east of the West Bank.
Israeli officials have said any presence in the Jordan Valley could be reviewed over time.
Abbas, meanwhile, is under growing pressure from the Quartet of Mideast mediators ? the U.S., the U.N., the EU and Russia ? to continue the talks with Israel, which began earlier this month. The Quartet had asked the sides to present detailed proposals on borders and security arrangements.
The Palestinians argue that the period set aside for the contacts ended Thursday, or three months after the Quartet issued its marching orders. Israel says the intention was to have three months of talks, and so wants meetings to continue.
Abbas will consult Monday with senior officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization and his Fatah movement. Later next week, he will also seek advice from the Arab League.
Read Pat Mitchell's other articles on HuffingtonPost.com
If you only pay attention to the press coverage and/or tweets from Sundance this year, you might think it is all about celebrity sightings, but in fact, there is some powerful paradigm shifting going on as well. I was honored to be cohost of a gathering about women in film, along with Jacki Zehner, a dear friend and superwoman in every sense, along with two great organizations?Women In Film Los Angeles and the Sundance Institute. Our collective goal was to look at the current state of women in film and launch an initiative to shore up the pipeline that channels women's ideas, sensibilities, and good work onto the big screen.
It wasn't the first time, of course, that we'd explored these ideas. This "conversation" actually started last year with an informal gathering where Jacki, Geena Davis, Gloria Steinem, and 50 or so women directors, writers, producers, and funders got together to discuss how women are represented in film?both in the stories and behind the scenes. Further, we discussed why there is a disappointing underrepresentation of women across all sectors of media, particularly in clout positions.
This year, more than 150 women got together to continue the conversation with some new data: 17% of the 3,879 feature-length films submitted to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival were directed by women, and that number is affected significantly by the documentary films, among which we find almost double the number of women directors submitting as for narrative films. Among films selected for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the numbers are a bit more (10% more) encouraging, with 27% of festival films directed by women.
There?s a bit of a brighter picture when we look at Sundance feature film and documentary film labs?where Sundance incubates filmmakers and their projects. Over the last two years, an average of 47% of feature film lab fellows and 45% of documentary film lab fellows were female.
As Keri Putnam, executive director, Sundance Institute, pointed out, the large jumps in these statistics reveal a pattern wherein women are originating high-quality projects, but are having a hard time getting them made. This, of course, isn't the only field where we see major pipeline issues for women?just look at law, medicine, and the sciences and engineering. But that doesn't mean we will throw up our hands in resignation. We're going to do something about it.
Cathy Schulman, president of Women In Film Los Angeles, explained that her organization would be collaborating with the Sundance Institute, first to thoroughly study the statistics on women filmmakers in the independent world, inviting other organizations to work with them to compile the best information, and second, to follow the 2012 Sundance ?class? of female Festival, Fund and Lab filmmakers to analyze challenges they may face moving projects forward.
The goal is to formulate a vision for support within the scope of both institutions? programs. The efforts will focus on supporting opportunities or paths toward sustained careers, inclusivity and parity, and the diversity in the content and backgrounds of women filmmakers. In addition, Women In Film has agreed to coprogram a symposium in Los Angeles with Sundance Institute spotlighting the challenges facing independent women filmmakers, and to open up their mentorship and career counseling programs to Sundance Institute supported filmmakers where they will receive guidance, mentoring, and business and creative support services.
It's thrilling to be present at these kinds of gatherings, when convicted women with access to resources and deep, wide networks, leverage their power to make sure that the next generation of Catherine Hardwickes and Jane Campions don't go unnoticed. I'll keep you posted on our progress.
MOUNT DORA, Fla. ? Newt Gingrich on Thursday dramatically ramped up his attacks on Mitt Romney, saying the former Massachusetts governor is guilty of lies, desperation and hypocrisy that should make "every American angry."
Gingrich, the former House speaker, said he was infuriated by a barrage of attack ads that are blistering him on Florida TV stations ahead of Tuesday's GOP presidential primary. Most are funded by an outside organization backing Romney, but some are from Romney's own campaign. Unable to match Romney's money machine, Gingrich implored Florida Republicans to punish his chief rival for what Gingrich called callously dishonest ads.
"This is the desperate last stand of the old order," Gingrich told an outdoor crowd of more than 1,000 northwest of Orlando. "This is the kind of gall they have to think we're so stupid and we're so timid."
The nature and volume of the attack ads are similar to those that badly damaged Gingrich in Iowa a month ago.
"I think all the weight of his negative advertising and all the weight of his dishonesty has hurt us some," Gingrich said. But "I am not going to allow the moneyed interests that are buying those ads to come in here and to come into other states to misinform people and then to think we are too dumb to fight back."
Romney steered clear of his rival during a subsequent campaign appearance.
Gingrich later told reporters he decided to sharpen his criticisms after Romney's tax returns showed investments held in Cayman Island accounts, the government-backed mortgage company Freddie Mac and other entities.
"Here's a guy who owns Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae stock," Gingrich said. "He owns a Goldman Sachs subsidiary, which is foreclosing on Floridians. And on that front he decides to lie about my career? There's something about the hypocrisy that should make every American angry."
Romney has been hammering Gingrich for consulting work he performed for Freddie Mac and telling Florida voters that Gingrich was paid by a company that contributed to the state's poor housing market.
The acerbic remarks came three days after Gingrich took a much more moderate tone in a televised debate in Tampa, when Romney sharpened his own attacks. Gingrich strongly hinted he will be more aggressive in a CNN debate scheduled for Thursday night in Jacksonville.
Romney, meanwhile, toured a Jacksonville factory that is closing because of the economy before he addressed several hundred people gathered outside. He acknowledged that the live audience at Thursday's debate may be fairly raucous, a dynamic that seems to favor Gingrich and his populist, us-against-the-media and us-against-the-establishment style.
"There may be some give and take," Romney said. "That's always fun and entertaining, I know. If you all could get there, we'd love to see you all there cheering."
In his remarks, Romney criticized President Barack Obama and steered clear of Gingrich. He called Obama's administration a "Groundhog Day" presidency in which nothing gets better.
Polls suggest the Florida primary is close, coming 10 days after Gingrich beat Romney by 12 percentage points in South Carolina. Asked if he felt Florida was slipping toward Romney, Gingrich said, "I feel that it's useful for people to look at the totality of his record and ask yourself, `How can a guy who literally owns stock in a Goldman Sachs investment fund that forecloses on Floridians run the ads he's been running?'"
Goldman Sachs employees and their families contributed $367,200 to Romney's campaign through Sept. 30, his largest source of campaign contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul also were participating in Thursday's debate, the final one before the GOP presidential primary in Florida on Tuesday. But both candidates have set their sights elsewhere and have largely stayed away from the Romney-Gingrich drama.
Whoever wins Florida will score something no one has yet claimed in a tumultuous primary season: a second victory. The first three contests have been won by three different candidates. Only Paul has yet to score a win.
The hits for Romney and Gingrich were coming from many directions.
The "super" political action committees backing them have spent more than $10 million combined on ads to date in Florida, far more than their respective campaigns. The Romney-leaning Restore Our Future has spent $8.8 million in ads as of late Tuesday, bringing to $14 million the total spent on ads supporting Romney in the state. That doesn't include money already spent on radio and Internet advertising.
As of late Tuesday, the Gingrich-backing Winning Our Future had booked $1.8 million in television ads in Florida, a check made possible by a new donation from Miriam Adelson. She and her husband, Sheldon, this month gave $5 million apiece to the group, which supports Gingrich but legally must remain independent.
Santorum, meanwhile, seemed to be recognizing that he stood almost no chance of winning Florida. He and his advisers planned no advertising in the state and instead were focused on raising money and calling potential supporters in upcoming states. He all but gave up trying to woo a network of pastors and was scaling back his schedule in Florida.
Chuck Laudner, an influential adviser who helped Santorum score an upset victory in the Iowa caucuses, was returning to the Midwest to start piecing together coalitions in Missouri and Minnesota. Both states have media markets that overlap with Iowa, where Santorum proved to be the big story.
Paul, virtually absent from Florida except for appearances built around the debates, was concentrating instead on caucus states where his loyal backers can carry a louder voice.
___
Associated Press writers Charles Babington, Philip Elliott, Kasie Hunt and David Espo in Florida contributed to this report. Jack Gillum contributed from Washington.
HARASTA, Syria (Reuters) ? Syrian troops battled rebels in a town just north of Damascus on Thursday and a provincial governor spoke of negotiating local ceasefires as a 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad crept close to the capital.
A Syrian officer told Reuters clashes had been under way in Douma since the morning. Security forces were searching houses for arms and wanted suspects. Reporters were shown home-made grenades among other seized weapons.
The officer was speaking in the tense suburb of Harasta nearby, where troops were deployed in strength.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces had detained 200 people in Douma, a hotbed of protests and armed rebellion against Assad.
Gunfire was close enough to be heard from central Damascus during the night.
"Many of them (in the opposition) have been misled. They will eventually come back to the right way," Hussein Makhlouf, governor of Damascus countryside, told Arab League monitors before they headed for some of the capital's troubled suburbs.
"We have started a dialogue with them, including some armed groups that are controlling positions there," Makhlouf said.
He told the observers that the authorities were using "the same approach as in Zabadani, so the same scenario will happen."
This month the military withdrew armored vehicles encircling the rebel-held town of Zabadani, near the border with Lebanon, after negotiating a truce with its defenders.
Arab observers stopped at an entrance to the Damascus suburb of Irbin, where a dozen soldiers stood guard. Beyond them a crowd of about 100 anti-Assad protesters shouted "Allahu akbar (God is great)." The troops showed the monitors the body of a soldier and another person they said had been killed in the morning.
The Arab observers soon drove away from the scene without going into the township.
MONITORS RESUME WORK
The monitors, now without 55 Gulf Arab colleagues withdrawn by their governments this week in protest at continued bloodshed, were resuming work after a one-week gap during which the Arab League prolonged their mission by another month.
One monitor said he was confused about the extension. "The report has been written and the (League) decisions have been taken, so another month to do what? We are not sure," he said.
Syrian opposition groups have accused the observer mission, which deployed on December 26, of giving Assad diplomatic cover to pursue a crackdown on protesters and rebels in which more than 5,000 people have been killed since March, by a U.N. tally.
The Arab League called on Sunday for Assad to quit as part of a transition plan for which it is seeking U.N. support.
Western and Arab diplomats are working on a draft Security Council resolution on Syria. Russia said it would continue to promote its own text, but did not rule out a compromise.
"For now ... Russia has its own draft and will actively promote it within the framework of the Security Council," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.
Russia, one of Syria's few remaining allies along with Iran, has rejected sanctions or military action against Assad.
The Security Council could vote as early as next week on a Western-Arab draft resolution, council diplomats said.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby urged Damascus to end military operations against "defenseless civilians." In a statement, he voiced concern about "the continued killing and violence in Syria that has claimed more innocent victims."
In recent months, an insurgency by army deserters and other rebels has increasingly eclipsed peaceful protests against more than four decades of rule by the Assad family.
Activists said the army deployment and clashes in townships around Damascus were a response to insurgents' growing strength.
"The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has almost complete control of some areas of the Damascus countryside and some control in Douma and Harasta," an activist who gave his name as Hussein told Reuters by telephone from Harasta.
Other activists in Douma, Harasta and Irbin said security forces had gathered in their towns after rebels retreated because they could not fight pitched battles with the army.
"Assad's army has armored vehicles and anti-aircraft guns while we only have rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs)," said an FSA fighter who calls himself Abu Thaer.
France voiced concern over the situation in Hama where it said Syrian security forces had launched a major offensive.
"Facing the bloody and relentless repression of the Syrian regime, it's vital that the international community faces its responsibilities by adopting a Security Council resolution that condemns the violence committed by the Damascus government against its people," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The U.S. State Department's top human rights official said Washington was keen to work with the Arab League to end the bloodshed in Syria and he called for Assad to go.
"We are desirous of working in partnership with them and there is certainly a hope and expectation that we can proceed to the Security Council soon for the issue to be raised," Michael Posner told reporters in Cairo.
The revolt in Syria was inspired by other uprisings that have toppled three autocratic Arab leaders over the past year and the bloodshed has battered Assad's standing in the world.
The Arab League has suspended Syria and called for Assad to hand over to his deputy, pending the formation of an unity government, constitutional and security reform, and elections.
(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Beirut, Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman and Tom Perry in Cairo; Writing by Alistair Lyon)
Contact: Jerry Berger jberger@bidmc.harvard.edu 617-667-7308 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Not all ICDs need to be replaced because battery is depleted
BOSTON More than 100,000 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted in the United States annually, fully a quarter of those are generator replacements simply because the battery is depleted. But are all those replacements necessary and should they actually be performed?
Writing in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors at the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggest the answer is surely no.
Similar to a pacemaker, an ICD is implanted in the chest with a wire running to the heart of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. The device delivers a shock of electricity to the heart when it detects an abnormal and potentially life threatening heart rhythm.
"Though ICDs are lifesaving for some patients, evaluation of the clinical and ethical aspects of ICD replacement is long overdue," writes lead author Daniel B. Kramer, MD, a Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellow at BIDMC and Clinical Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, who believes patients and doctors must move beyond the view that this type of therapy as a lifelong treatment.
"Some patients may elect to keep these devices for the rest of their lives," says Kramer. "But for others, the risks associated with replacing the device may outweigh any expected benefit. We really need to make decisions on an individual basis."
Kramer suggests that patients be assessed carefully before replacement, just as they were when the ICD was initially implanted.
Patient experiences with the device should also be factored in, such as inappropriate shocks, the patient's value system and personal preferences for end of life care. "A more concrete expression of a patient's wishes might emerge through an advance directive."
The medical system itself also plays a significant role in clouding decisions around ICD replacement.
"There are often several doctors and several specialties consulting on one person's care," says Kramer, . "with ambiguity about who is ultimately responsible. Who makes the decision to avoid the possibly unnecessary and certainly very costly procedure?" he asks, adding that the current fee-for-service system offers little to no incentive for doctors to decline the procedure.
More challenging for doctors, may be the moral objection from doctors and patients to stopping a potentially life-saving or life-prolonging device.
"Indeed, some patients or physicians might consider non-replacement equivalent to either physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, despite consensus statements that clearly reject this view."
"What we really need are clinical trials focusing on ICD replacement," says Kramer. "Doctors and patients need data evaluating outcomes to better inform the decision making process."
While awaiting studies that can help inform evidence-based guidelines, Kramer suggests doctors who implant ICDs should take the lead in educating "primary care physicians, general cardiologists, and other specialists regarding the appropriateness of ICD replacement for individual patients."
And conversations with patients and family members about down-the-line replacement should start early, ideally at the time of the initial placement.
"Patients should not find themselves committed to a lifelong therapy or trapped by misconceptions about clinical, ethical, and legal aspects of choosing not to replace a device."
###
In addition to Kramer, co-authors are Alfred E. Buxton, MD and Peter J. Zimetbaum, MD from the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
There are no reported sources of funding.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and currently ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.
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Contact: Jerry Berger jberger@bidmc.harvard.edu 617-667-7308 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Not all ICDs need to be replaced because battery is depleted
BOSTON More than 100,000 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted in the United States annually, fully a quarter of those are generator replacements simply because the battery is depleted. But are all those replacements necessary and should they actually be performed?
Writing in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors at the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggest the answer is surely no.
Similar to a pacemaker, an ICD is implanted in the chest with a wire running to the heart of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. The device delivers a shock of electricity to the heart when it detects an abnormal and potentially life threatening heart rhythm.
"Though ICDs are lifesaving for some patients, evaluation of the clinical and ethical aspects of ICD replacement is long overdue," writes lead author Daniel B. Kramer, MD, a Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellow at BIDMC and Clinical Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, who believes patients and doctors must move beyond the view that this type of therapy as a lifelong treatment.
"Some patients may elect to keep these devices for the rest of their lives," says Kramer. "But for others, the risks associated with replacing the device may outweigh any expected benefit. We really need to make decisions on an individual basis."
Kramer suggests that patients be assessed carefully before replacement, just as they were when the ICD was initially implanted.
Patient experiences with the device should also be factored in, such as inappropriate shocks, the patient's value system and personal preferences for end of life care. "A more concrete expression of a patient's wishes might emerge through an advance directive."
The medical system itself also plays a significant role in clouding decisions around ICD replacement.
"There are often several doctors and several specialties consulting on one person's care," says Kramer, . "with ambiguity about who is ultimately responsible. Who makes the decision to avoid the possibly unnecessary and certainly very costly procedure?" he asks, adding that the current fee-for-service system offers little to no incentive for doctors to decline the procedure.
More challenging for doctors, may be the moral objection from doctors and patients to stopping a potentially life-saving or life-prolonging device.
"Indeed, some patients or physicians might consider non-replacement equivalent to either physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, despite consensus statements that clearly reject this view."
"What we really need are clinical trials focusing on ICD replacement," says Kramer. "Doctors and patients need data evaluating outcomes to better inform the decision making process."
While awaiting studies that can help inform evidence-based guidelines, Kramer suggests doctors who implant ICDs should take the lead in educating "primary care physicians, general cardiologists, and other specialists regarding the appropriateness of ICD replacement for individual patients."
And conversations with patients and family members about down-the-line replacement should start early, ideally at the time of the initial placement.
"Patients should not find themselves committed to a lifelong therapy or trapped by misconceptions about clinical, ethical, and legal aspects of choosing not to replace a device."
###
In addition to Kramer, co-authors are Alfred E. Buxton, MD and Peter J. Zimetbaum, MD from the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
There are no reported sources of funding.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and currently ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New York ? The president hammers the theme of economic fairness, tells a cringe-worthy joke about spilt milk, and targets Mitt Romney ? without ever mentioning him by name
President Obama delivered an election-year State of the Union address on Tuesday night that laid out what Obama would like to accomplish on tax reform, the housing mess, and a long list of other items, warning Congress, "I intend to fight obstruction with action." (Watch a five-minute highlight video below.) The "confrontational" speech was more like George W. Bush's "polarizing" 2004 State of the Union than Bill Clinton's "conciliatory approach" in 1996, says David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times, reflecting today's rancorous politics and Obama's misadventures in attempted bipartisanship. Here, eight things political junkies are buzzing about:
1. The speech focused on "fairness" Obama presented most of his proposals ? higher taxes for the super-wealthy, tax breaks for manufacturers that employ Americans ? "in terms of fairness," says Adam Sorensen at?TIME. The "defining issue of our time," Obama said, is keeping the American dream alive, restoring "an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules." Obama's "biggest new idea was attaching a number to his previously articulated 'Buffett Rule'," says The Washington Post in an editorial: Anyone earning $1 million or more a year would pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. "Think of this as a new version of the alternative minimum tax."
SEE MORE: The 'creepy' Barack Obama mannequin
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2. But there were no grand proposals Obama mostly offered "a number of small-ball initiatives," along with a few "lofty promises" that nobody expects to amount to much, says Howard Kurtz at?The Daily Beast. Of course, in an election year, he had "a tricky assignment, given that a divided Congress is unlikely to accomplish squat and the incumbent is already under daily assault by those who want his job." Maybe his "laundry-list speech" was the best he could do. Perhaps,?says Ed Rogers at?The Washington Post. But "Obama played it so safe, he was actually boring."
3. Mitt Romney functioned as He Who Must Not Be Named "President Obama did not mention Mitt Romney on Tuesday evening," says Mark Landler at The New York Times, "but he didn't need to." The GOP presidential frontrunner "was the unspoken adversary" as Obama called for "a more equitable society" with a level playing ground. This was a "sharp-elbowed" rebuttal of Romney, says Brian Beutler at?Talking Points Memo. "Romney has raised eyebrows for opposing the auto-industry bailout. In his address, Obama chided, 'some even said we should let [the U.S. auto industry] die.'" Romney has suggested that the foreclosure crisis should just run its course. Obama swatted back indirectly, saying that "responsible homeowners" shouldn't have to wait for the market "to hit bottom to get some relief."
SEE MORE: Obama's top 5 successes
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4. Obama wants to help Americans refinance their homes Obama proposed giving "every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks." Essentially, says Andrew Sullivan at?The Daily Beast, Obama's "big idea" is "a handout to underwater homeowners using money from the banks. Pure populism." But great policy, says Mark Steitz at?The Huffington Post. Streamlining refinancing on a large scale would "put money into the economy, prevent unnecessary foreclosures, and help stabilize the real estate market."
5. And he's going after financial criminals "Not everything Obama spoke about required congressional action," says TIME's Sorensen. For instance, a new task force will "expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis," and "hold accountable those who broke the law," Obama said. It will be headed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who walked away from a pending mortgage fraud settlement between banks, states, and the feds, because it would give lenders criminal immunity. The task force will "help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans," Obama said.
SEE MORE: President Obama's rising approval rating: 4 theories
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6. Osama bin Laden was mentioned more than health care reform Obama opened and closed his State of the Union with calls for bipartisanship, citing "his greatest foreign policy success," the killing of the al Qaeda kingpin, says Joel Gehrke at?The Washington Examiner. That makes it all the more remarkable that in his list of accomplishments he devoted only 44 words to his greatest domestic achievement, health care reform, says Philip Klein, also in The Examiner. That's "the fewest words spent on health care in a State of the Union speech for two decades."
7. The president's "milk" joke fell flat Obama told one joke in the State of the Union, and boy, was that a mistake, says Alexandra Petri at?The Washington Post. He sets up the joke by talking about how his administration scrapped a 40-year-old rule that made dairy farmers prove they could contain a milk spill, as if milk were "somehow classified as an oil." Then the putative punchline: "With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk." Ooof, says Petri. "Frankly, this was the least funny milk-related thing since Milk. And Sean Penn died in that."
SEE MORE: The many failures of Obama's Teddy Roosevelt speech
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8. Mitch Daniels delivered an "adult" rebuttal The Indiana governor's rebuttal was full of "adult advice" that nicely set up the Republicans to fight Obama in the fall, says Jennifer Rubin at?The Washington Post. His "poised and serious" speech "lacked the soaring themes that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) sounded last year," but was a good model for "less sober conservatives" to emulate. That same "reticence renders him a non-factor in national politics," however. Don't I know it, says The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan. Daniels "outclassed" Obama, and his fiscally sane rebuttal "surpassed the actual State of the Union." If I had just these two speeches to go on, "I would vote for Daniels" ? if only the GOP would nominate someone like him.
See the highlights from Obama's speech for yourself:
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SEE MORE: Obama's recess dilemma
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View this article on TheWeek.com Get Obama and the 'road to serfdom'
Opinion Brief: 5 theories why Obama is going on 'The View'
Opinion Brief: Obama on 'The View': Unpresidential?
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On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Graphic shows number of words used in official and unofficial State of the Union addresses; will be updated following Obama???s 2012 speech
Following the Republicans' weekly strategy session, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. McConnell took aim at President Obama who will be delivering his State of the Union address later. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
On the day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office along the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Following the Democrats' weekly strategy session, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is pledging an economic revival that will work for everyone and not just the rich, declaring that "the defining issue of our time" is the endangered promise of the American dream. He's using his State of the Union address Tuesday night to draw a battle line with Republicans over how to avoid a nation of haves and have-nots.
In excerpts of his speech released in advance, Obama attacked income inequality and offered an economic agenda built upon boosting manufacturing, energy and education. He will call for requiring the rich to pay more in taxes and try to appeal to the independent voters and frustrated masses whose support he needs to keep his job.
Obama was making his pitch to a bitterly divided Congress and to a country underwhelmed by his handling of the economy. Targeting anxiety about a slumping middle class, Obama was underlining every proposal with the idea that hard work and responsibility still count.
"No debate is more important," Obama said in the excerpts released by the White House ahead of the 9 p.m. EST speech.
"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules," the president said.
He warned Republicans in Congress that he will fight them if they try to obstruct him or restore an economy gutted by "outsourcing, bad debt and phony financial profits."
Republicans weren't impressed.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, offering the formal GOP response, called Obama's policies "pro-poverty" and his tactics divisive.
"No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others," Daniels said in excerpts released before the address.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking ahead of the president's speech, said: "It's hard not to feel a sense of disappointment even before tonight's speech is delivered. The goal isn't to conquer the nation's problems. It's to conquer Republicans. The goal isn't to prevent gridlock, but to guarantee it."
Steeped in American tradition, the State of the Union has become a night of political theater watched by tens of millions of Americans. And this year, the one time when Obama is delivering the address while also campaigning for re-election, the speech amounts to his biggest, best case to spell out his vision for another four years.
The economy dominates.
For an incumbent on the attack about income inequality, the timing could not be better.
Ahead of Obama's speech, Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney released his tax returns under political pressure, revealing that he earned nearly $22 million in 2010 and paid an effective tax rate of about 14 percent. That's a lower rate than many Americans pay because of the way investment income is taxed.
Obama, though, has his own considerable messaging challenges three years into his term.
The economy is improving, but unemployment still stands at the high rate of 8.5 percent. More than 13 million people are out of work. Government debt stands at $15.2 trillion, a record, and up from $10.6 trillion when he took office. Most Americans think the country is on the wrong track.
Obama's relations with Republicans in Congress are poor, casting huge doubt on any of his major ideas for the rest of this year. Republicans control the House and have the votes to stall matters in the Senate, although Obama has tried to take the offensive since a big jobs speech in September and a slew of executive actions ever since.
Despite the political atmosphere in Washington, the scene is expected to have at least one unifying touch. Outgoing Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt a year ago, is expected to attend with her colleagues. Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, was attending as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama.
Obama's tone was under as much scrutiny as his proposals.
He was aiming to find all the right balances: offering outreach to Republicans while sharpening his competing vision, outlining re-election themes without overtly campaigning and pledging to work with Congress even as he presses a campaign to act without it.
The context was set not just by the re-election year, but by the awful past year of partisan breakdowns in Washington. The government neared both a shutdown and, even worse, a default on its obligations for the first time in history.
Less than 10 months before Election Day, the presidential race is shaping up as a contest between unmistakably different views of the economy and the role of government.
Obama is campaigning on the idea of helping people at least get a fair shot at a job, a house, a career and a better life. Republicans say he and his philosophy have become a crushing burden on free enterprise and that the president is resorting to what amounts to class warfare to get elected again.
He was to unveil new proposals to address the housing crisis that has left many people trapped, and he planned to promote steps to make college education more affordable.
The president was planning a traditional rundown on the state of American security and foreign policy ? and a reminder that he kept a promise to end the Iraq war.
But his driving focus was to secure faith in the economic recovery and in voters' confidence that he is getting the country on the right path.
Obama planned to renew his call for his "Buffett rule" ? a principle that millionaires should not pay a lower tax rate than typical workers. While middle-income filers fall in the 15 or 25 percent bracket, and millionaires face a 35 percent tax bracket, those who get their income from investments ? not a paycheck ? pay 15 percent.
The president named his idea after billionaire Warren Buffett, who says it is unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. The White House invited Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, to attend the State of the Union as a special guest.
And then for three days following his speech, Obama will promote his ideas in five swing-voting states.. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy, and in Michigan on Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training.
Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.
WASHINGTON ? The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is preparing to welcome the space shuttle Discovery into its collection.
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough (cluff) says the shuttle will be flown to Washington Dulles International Airport on the back of a Boeing 747 in April. A flyover is planned above the nation's capital before Discovery makes its final home at the museum's massive hangar in northern Virginia.
Clough said Monday the flyover is planned for April 17. A formal welcome ceremony is planned for April 19 at the museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
Shuttle Endeavour will travel to the California Science Center in Los Angeles in the second half of the year.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Kate Beckinsale is back with a vengeance, with her latest "Underworld" movie opening at No. 1 this weekend.
"Underworld Awakening" made an estimated $25.4, distributor Sony Screen Gems reported Sunday.
This is the fourth film in the vampire action saga. Beckinsale starred in the first two movies as the warrior Selene, then bowed out of part three but returned for this latest installment. "Underworld Awakening" was shown for the first time in 3-D as well as on IMAX screens, where it made $3.8 million. That's 15 percent of the film's weekend gross, which is a record for an IMAX digital-only run.
Sony had hoped the film would end up in the low-$20 million range. But Rory Bruer, the studio's president of worldwide distribution, says the fact that it did even better ? despite a snow storm that hit much of the Midwest and East Coast ? primarily has to do with Beckinsale's return.
"She is such a force. Her character ? you just can't take your eyes off of her. I know the character is very dear to her, as well, and she just kills it," Bruer said. "The 3-D aspect of the film also brings something, makes it a fun, visceral ride."
Opening in second place was "Red Tails" from executive producer George Lucas, about the Tuskegee Airmen who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in World War II. It made an estimated $19.1 million, according to 20th Century Fox, which was well above expectations; the studio had hoped to reach double digits, said Chris Aronson, executive vice president of domestic distribution.
"I believe what George Lucas has stated all along: This is an important story and a story that must be told. It is a true story of American heroism and valor and audiences have really responded to this message," Aronson said. "People want to feel good about themselves, they want to be uplifted. We have enough hard crud going on in this country right now. Times are tough, and if we look back and are told a story of some really fantastic deeds, that's really compelling moviegoing."
Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said a grassroots effort to get groups of people into the theaters to see "Red Tails," along with positive word-of-mouth, helped its strong showing. The film saw an uptick from about $6 million on Friday to $8.65 million on Saturday.
Overall box office is up 31 percent from the same weekend a year ago, Dergarabedian said, thanks to new releases as well as movies like "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," which had limited runs for awards consideration at the end of 2011 and are now expanding nationwide. The Sept. 11 drama from Warner Bros., starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, came in fourth place with $10.5 million.
Last week's No. 1 film, the Universal smuggling thriller "Contraband" starring Mark Wahlberg, dropped to the No. 3 spot with $12.2 million. It's now made $46.1 million in two weeks. Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh's international action picture "Haywire" from Relativity Media, starring mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano in her first film role, opened in fifth place with $9 million, which was above expectations.
"This is a great, perfect January weekend. You've got these holdover films and newcomers creating an overall marketplace that people are really responding to," Dergarabedian said. "It sounds cliche but this marketplace really has something for everyone."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
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