Arnold returns to acting in 'Governator'

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

With his years as governor behind him, Arnold Schwarzenegger will soon return to his acting career with a new animated TV series.

The planned action-comedy cartoon is called "The Governator," according to a A Squared Entertainment, a partner in the venture. It will focus on a superhero living a double life as an ordinary family man. Schwarzenegger will provide the voice of the title character.

The series is planned as the first stage of a franchise that could also include comics and films.

Prince William Parties at Secret Bachelor Bash

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The palace confirms that Prince William had his bachelor party this weekend but anyone who expected him to go wildly cavorting around London's nightclubs is about to be disappointed. Wills is believed to have spent the weekend at a friend's country estate. The private party was attended by about 20 close friends, all of whom were sworn to secrecy regarding the details of what went on, the Telegraph reports.

Ghandi loved Jewish bodybuilder, bio says

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi left his wife for a German-Jewish architect and bodybuilder, a new bio says.

The new book, "Great Soul: Mahtma Gandhi and his struggle with India," reports that Gandhi was in love with Hermann Kallenback, for whom he left his wife in 1908.

Kallenback was born in Germany but moved to South Africa, where he became a busy architect. He reportedly lived with Gandhi for two years in a house built in South Africa according to the Daily Mail. The men remained in touch by letters after Gandhi returned to India in 1914 and Kallenback was denied entry.

The book says that Gandhi wrote to Kallenback "How completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance."

Japan Was Warned About Nuke Safety in '08

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The Japanese government was warned in 2008 that a strong earthquake would be a "serious problem" for the country's nuclear power stations, WikiLeaks cables reveal. An International Atomic Agency official declared twin concerns at a meeting of the G8's Nuclear Safety and Security Group: that safety rules relating to earthquakes had only been updated three times in 35 years and that an earthquake could exceed "the design basis for some nuclear plants." The government did respond, by building an emergency response center at the Fukushima plant but that center was built to withstand quakes up to 7.0 not Friday's 9.0 temblor, the Telegraph reports.

And there's more: Another cable reveals that the government opposed a court order to shut down a plant over concerns that it would not withstand an earthquake above a magnitude of 6.5 and could expose local residents to radiation. Japan's nuclear safety agency disagreed and the ruling was overturned in 2009. Two more cables go further, documenting concerns that a new generation of stations were "jeopardizing safety" and allegations that the government was "covering up nuclear accidents." Meanwhile the New York Times points out that concerns over Mark 1 nuclear reactors, the type used at the Fukushima plant, have been raised as long ago as 1972. Mark 1 reactors are not as strong as other types and are thought to be at higher risk of failing in an emergency.

Spielberg purchases screen rights to Wiki Leaks

Director Steven Spielberg has purchased the screen rights to the WikiLeaks story.

Spielberg bought the rights to "Wiki Leaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy," written by Guardian journalist David Leigh and Luke Harding, the Guardian reported today.

Dreamworks will produce the movie, according to the Guardian and also purchase the rights to a book by Assange's former colleague Daniel Berg titled "Inside WikiLeaks."

The movie is being conceived of as an investigative thriller, according to the Guardian.

JTA

Mama Mia! The "Jersey Shore" Cast Heads to Italy

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

How do you say "gym, tan, laundry" in Italian?

The cast of "Jersey Shore" is heading to Italy for season 4 of MTV's hit show, the network announced recently.

"While the stateside Jersey Shore locales have become iconic for our audience...Europe is a fresh spin on a show that continues to reach new heights for us," MTV's Chris Linn said in a statement. "The cast is headed to the birthplace of the culture they love and live by. We can't wait to see what erupts as a result."

Amid their inevitable shenanigans, the gang will leave "the boardwalk behind for the piazzas," "trade gorillas for Italian stallions" and according to the statement, drop in on Vinny's Italian relatives for a famous Guadagnino family dinner.

"Ohh! I love Italy This Time A Yeahhh," Pauly D tweeted.
Adds Snooki: "Just heard the most amazing news!"

With a whole new country before them where they can create embarrassing moments, one thing we'd love to see is how "The Situation's" abs stack up compared to the classic competition of Michaelangelo's statue of David on display in Florence.

Sheen to Jewish Group: You Apologize to Me

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The Anti-Defamation League accused Charlie Sheen of "boderline anti-Semitism" when he called "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre by his Hebrew name, Chaim Levine. But Sheen, via a letter from his lawyer, obtained by TMZ, says that's not fair--and demands that the ADL issue a retraction. His lawyer also noted that Lorre has referred to himself as Chaim Levine and has referred to Judaism as "bullshit," so the ADL should denounce Lorre, not Sheen, for his "disdain for the Jewish religion."

Cables Reveal Saudi Royals' Money Grabs

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The handouts Saudi King Abdullah is granting to his people are nothing compared to the handouts his family's thousands of princes and princesses have received over the past two decades. American diplomatic cables recently released by WikiLeaks detail the royal welfare program, which has cost the country an estimated $2 billion per year and has angered many Saudis. The royal patronage system doled out, in the mid-1990s, $800 per month even to "the lowliest member of the most remote branch of the family," according to the documents. Sons of modern Saudi Arabia's founder, on the other hand, received up to $270.000 per month, Reuters reports.

The monthly stipends being at birth with bonus payments available for marriage or palace building. But they are apparently not enough for some royals: The cables also detail royal money-grabbing schemes, from the complex to the simple (borrowing money from the banks and never repaying it). Despite all this, the cable notes, there are few "super rich" Saudi princes as they are "more adept at squandering than accumulating wealth." Resentment has already pushed King Abdullah to institute some reforms--like no longer paying for the cell phones of thousands of princes and princesses.