Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Charlie Sheen in good spirits after being sacked by CBS

Actor Charlie Sheen has said he is "doing great" after being fired from the hit US sitcom Two and a Half Men by Warner Bros Television.
The highest paid actor on US television, he told paparazzi it was "the greatest day of my life". The studio said it acted with "careful consideration" amid a frenzy of reports on his troubled personal life.
The news follows Sheen's recent suspension from the show, which saw him embark on a series of media interviews claiming he is "winning" and has "tiger blood", insisting he is drug-free and sober.

Spotify hits milestone with 1 million subscribers


Online music service Spotify has announced that it now has one million paying subscribers across Europe.

News of the milestone comes as Spotify continues a fund-raising from investors in advance of a launch in the US.
The Anglo-Swedish company has 6.67 million users, the majority of whom use a free service subsidised by adverts.
Spotify's profitability depends on users switching to premium services that remove adverts and allow listeners to use smartphones.
The company announced on its website's blog: "It seems like only yesterday we were hatching ideas for a new music service in a tiny office-cum-apartment with a broken coffee machine.
"So it's with a sense of real pride and excitement that we can announce a new milestone today, having welcomed our millionth paying subscriber to the service. "
Spotify is in the process of a $100m funding round that analysts estimate values the company at $1bn (£616m).
The company's plans to launch in the US have been delayed by concerns at the big music labels about the success of its business model.
Spotify pays royalties each time a song is played on its service.
Last year, it was estimated that the subscriber base represented about 7%-8% of Spotify's total user base.
But with one million subscribers, that percentage has risen to about 15%, the company said.

New aerial video of 9/11 Twin Towers attacks released

A new video has emerged showing the twin towers on the morning of September 11, 2001, shortly after they were attacked.
The footage, which has never been seen before, is shot from a New York Police Department's air and sea rescue helicopter.
The video was released after the National Institute of Standards and Technology received a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Only police helicopters were allowed in the airspace near the World Trade Centre after a total air exclusion zone was declared.