Arrest under new NY piracy laws

Transformers is based on the hugely popular toys

A man has been arrested under tightened anti-piracy laws in New York after allegedly recording the sci-fi blockbuster Transformers.

Kalidou Diallo, 48, has been charged with unauthorised use of a video camera in a cinema.

Under upgraded legislation, he could face six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000 (£2,487) if found guilty.

Meanwhile, Transformers has broken 4 July US box office records with takings of $29.1m (£14.48m).

The movie - based on the popular toys that debuted in the 1980s - chronicles a war between two factions of giant shape-shifting robots that bring their battle to Earth.

The cast includes Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel and John Turturro.

Secretly taped

Mr Diallo was arrested after allegedly smuggling a video recorder, video player and remote control into a preview of the film in the Bronx.

He was later released without bail and ordered to return to court on 20 September.

"This is the first time someone has been arrested and charged with the new illegal camcording law," City Hall spokesman Jason Post said Thursday.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) says more than 40% of bootlegged films in the US are secretly taped in New York cinemas.

The copies are frequently sold for mass reproduction or posted on the internet, sometimes within hours of the film opening.

Pirated films cost major US film studios more than $6bn (£2.9bn) in 2005, according to the trade association.

US capital to host Live Earth gig

Madonna has penned a song especially for the Live Earth concerts

Washington DC has been added as a venue for the series of Live Earth concerts, organised by former US Vice-President Al Gore to highlight climate change.

Country couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will be among the artists performing on The Mall in the US capital on Saturday.

Nine cities will stage gigs, including Sydney, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Hamburg, New Jersey and Rio de Janeiro.

Acts including Madonna, Duran Duran and the Beastie Boys will play in London.

And other stars lined up to play around the world include The Police, Lenny Kravitz, Kanye West and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Gore described Live Earth as a "global response" to a "global problem".

"By engaging individuals all over the world, Live Earth will drive corporations and governments to tackle the climate crisis," he said.

But there has also been scepticism about the value of the concerts from some quarters.

Critics say that flying rock stars in on aeroplanes and using a great deal of electricity to power several concerts sends out mixed messages about energy conservation.

"What would be great is if these pop stars - now they realise the damage we are all doing to the climate - look very carefully at their own actions and make some changes themselves," said John Buckley, managing director of the organisation Carbon Footprint.

Preparations are under way in nine cities, including Rio de Janeiro

Referring to Madonna, he told Reuters: "If she made a change then it would be picked up."

He calculated that the singer and her entourage emitted 444 tonnes of carbon dioxide on flights during last year's Confessions tour, more than 40 times the annual output of the average Briton.

Bob Geldof, who organised the Live Aid and Live8 charity concerts, has described the event as lacking a "final goal" and claimed most people already knew about the hazards of global warming.

And speaking to a British newspaper recently, The Who's Roger Daltrey said: "The last thing the planet needs is a rock concert."

Safety fears

Organisers have insisted they were keeping the concerts as green as possible.

Rapper Kanye West is among the acts to pledge their support

Proceeds from ticket sales are going to distribute power-efficient light bulbs and other measures which will offset the shows' greenhouse gas emissions.

Doubts had been cast over whether the Rio de Janeiro gig would go ahead after concerns about safety were raised.

Despite this, however, organisers persuaded a judge that adequate security measures were in place to ensure the gig, on Copacabana Beach, would go off safely.

But the Turkish event - in Istanbul - was shelved, owing to insufficient sponsorship and lack of time.

Raphael painting sells for £18m

The painting is one of only a few by Raphael to remain in private hands

A painting by Renaissance artist Raphael has sold for more than £18m ($37.3m) at an auction in London.

The portrait, of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici, had not been seen in public since 1968.

When it was last sold, the art world was divided over its origins and it sold for just $325.

But experts now agree it is genuine - Christie's auctioneers describing it as the most important Renaissance portrait to be sold at auction for a generation.

'Blind date'

The portrait was commissioned by Pope Leo X after he arranged a marriage between his nephew, Lorenzo de' Medici, and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, a cousin of Francois I, King of France.

The couple had never met, and so Raphael's paintings were to serve as an introduction - in a Renaissance version of the blind date.

In his portrait, Lorenzo is seen dressed in a gold tunic and fur-lined cape, resplendent against a rich green background.

The Pope's introduction seems to have worked - the couple married in 1518 and had a daughter, Catherine de' Medici, who went on to marry King Henry II of France.

Record broken

Raphael started out as a competent master of provincial church decoration and became one of the greatest painters of his era.

The sale has broken the record for a price paid for a work by Raphael.

The previous highest price was £5.3m in 1996 for Study for the Head and Hand of an Apostle, a drawing in black crayon.

Richard Knight, international director of Christie's Old Master Department, said: "The importance of the artist and the sitter, together with the provenance and the historical context behind this painting's creation, make it one of the most significant old master pictures to be offered at auction for a generation."

Rio's Live Earth 'given go-ahead'

US star Lenny Kravitz is scheduled to play in Brazil on Saturday

The Latin American leg of Live Earth is set to go ahead despite a judge's threat to cancel the Rio de Janeiro concert due to safety concerns.

A spokesman for the global event said producers for the show indicated they were proceeding with the open-air concert on Copacabana Beach.

The Brazilian gig is the only free event in the series of eight worldwide concerts to highlight climate change.

The Rio line-up includes Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray and Pharrell Williams.

Guarantee

Aside from the US acts, Rio will play host to a number of native performers, including singer Xuxa, reggae rock band O Rappa and rapper Marcelo D2.

A giant beach stage in front of Rio's Copacabana Palace hotel has already been erected, with organisers hoping to attract up to one million visitors.

Brazilian prosecutor Denise Tarin had requested a suspension of the concert saying security efforts by police would be concentrated on preparations for the Pan American Games, starting 13 July.

Local promotion company Mondo Entretenimento sought to allay fears, saying it had plans to use dozens of observation towers and platforms, as well as police cameras, as part of the security scheme for the event.

Concert organisers said they received guarantees of security and safety at the event from Rio police, but they are still asking the court to reconsider its decision.

The Istanbul leg of the Live Earth series of concerts was shelved last month due to a lack of interest and sponsorship.

Eight cities will be holding concerts across 24 hours on 7 July, including London, Tokyo, Sydney and Johannesburg.

Rio's Live Earth gig 'suspended'

US star Lenny Kravitz is scheduled to play in Brazil on Saturday

The Latin American leg of Live Earth could be called off after a judge cancelled Saturday's concert in Rio de Janeiro over safety concerns.

Police claim they do not have enough officers to guarantee crowd safety at the open-air gig on Copacabana beach.

Brazilian promoters of the event, the only free show in the series of global concerts highlighting climate change, are hoping to overturn the decision.

The Rio line-up includes Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray and Pharrell Williams.

Aside from the US acts, Rio will play host to a number of native performers, including singer Xuxa, reggae rock band O Rappa and rapper Marcelo D2.

A giant beach stage in front of Rio's Copacabana Palace hotel has already been erected, with organisers hoping to attract up to one million visitors.

Second cancellation

However, Brazilian prosecutor Denise Tarin has requested a suspension of the concert saying security efforts by police would be concentrated on preparations for the Pan American Games, starting 13 July.

Eight cities will be holding concerts across 24 hours on 7 July, including London, Tokyo, Sydney and Johannesburg.

In a statement, Brazilian promotion company Mondo Entretenimento said it was "working to guarantee the realisation of this important international event".

It said it had plans to use dozens of observation towers and platforms, as well as police cameras, as part of the security scheme for the event.

If Tuesday's court injunction is not over-ruled, it could spell a second cancellation in the Live Earth series, following the scrapping of a concert in Istanbul because of a lack of sponsorship and interest.

Rio has one of the highest murder rates in the world. At least 1,800 people were killed in the first four months of 2007 in the metropolitan area, official figures show.

Last week, clashes between police and drug traffickers in a slum in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro left 19 people dead.

Cruise film banned from memorial

Cruise is a passionate advocate of the Church of Scientology

Actor Tom Cruise and the makers of his new movie have been banned from filming at the location in Berlin where an army colonel was executed in World War II.

Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who was executed after plotting to assassinate Hitler in 1944.

Germany's finance ministry said the ban on Valkyrie's makers had nothing to do with the actor being a Scientologist.

Producers have already been barred from military sites because Germany believes Scientology is a money-making cult.

Scientology leaders strongly reject that view, while Cruise's co-producer has said his personal beliefs were not relevant to the film's subject matter.

A German government spokesman said the cast and crew had been refused permission to film on the so-called Bendlerblock site, which is part of the defence ministry, because it was a memorial site.

Meanwhile director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck - who won this year's best foreign language film Oscar for The Lives of Others - has defended Cruise, telling the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper that having him play Stauffenberg "would promote Germany's image more than 10 football World Cups".

Valkyrie - named after Operation Valkyrie, the plot's codename - is directed by Bryan Singer and also stars Kenneth Branagh. It is due for release next year.

Fans brave rain for Potter stars

Hundreds of Harry Potter fans crammed into London's Leicester Square in torrential rain for the European premiere of the fifth film.

The film's star Daniel Radcliffe arrived clutching an umbrella as fans' chants of "Harry, Harry, Harry" drowned out the sound of thunder.

He was joined by author JK Rowling, who said that it was "fantastic" to see the crowds of fans.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opens in the UK on 12 July.

Rowling spoke of finishing the final book in the series, which is published on 21 July.

"Finishing it was very, very emotional," she said. "It's been a hell of a month. I'll want to know what the people in my house think of it."

Asked what plans she had for the near future Rowling said: "I'm looking forward to going on holiday."

Darker film

Radcliffe, 17, who was joined by his co-stars Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), returns to the role of the student wizard, which he first played at the age of 10.

He admitted that the new film is darker than previous ones.

"Toward the end there's not many laughs to be had," he said. "While there's not actually direct comedy, there's some really heartfelt emotion."

Speaking of his first on-screen clinch with Katie Leung, who plays Cho Chang, he said: "She's a very good kisser."

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix sees Harry bring together a group of apprentice wizards and witches at his Hogwarts school to battle a growing evil.

Advance orders

British director David Yates takes over the reins from Mike Newell, becoming the fourth director to be involved in the franchise.

Better known for gritty TV projects such as State of Play and Sex Traffic, Yates has already signed up for the sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Nearly 1.6 million have already placed an order for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the seventh and final instalment - ahead of its publication.