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12-24-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
SHIRTLESS OBAMA CAUSING DRAMA: People are wondering how a photographer was able to bypass security to get the shot.
*Barack Obama isn't the first presidential figure to be photographed shirtless, and likely won't be the last. He is, however, the most physically-toned U.S. leader since JFK to be caught on camera bare-chested.
But inquiring minds want to know how the photographer from Bauer-Griffin – the same California-based agency who caught Halle Berry on a movie set this month at the precise moment of her wardrobe malfunction – was able to get the exclusive shot despite an army of security surrounding the beach resort where the president-elect is vacationing with his family.
Bauer-Griffin co-owner Frank Griffin said his photographer did absolutely nothing wrong. "He had his equipment searched by the secret service and was restricted to a certain area of the beach," just like the other photographers, "before the president-elect walked into his view about a hundred yards away," Griffin told CNN.
"There was tacit approval that he was able to shoot what he could shoot, it's a public beach," Griffin told the Washington Post, adding that his snapper was not asked to leave the public beach from where he spotted Obama.
Other shots on the Bauer Griffin Web site www.bauergriffinonline.com show wife Michelle Obama with their daughters Malia and Sasha, apparently heading back to their vacation lodgings after a swim.
J-HUD TO PERFORM LIVE IN FEBRUARY: Grammy nominee scheduled to sing songs of Neil Diamond at MusiCares gala.
*Jennifer Hudson is scheduled to perform at February's MusiCares Person of the Year gala honoring music legend Neil Diamond, reports Variety.
The Grammy week event could mark the first public appearance of the "Dreamgirls" Oscar winner since the October murders of her mother, brother and nephew in Chicago.
Hudson and other scheduled performers – Tim McGraw, Coldplay, Josh
Groban and the Foo Fighters – will sing songs from Diamond's catalog.
The show will take place Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The 51st annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 8 at L.A.'s Staples Center.
Hudson's brother-in-law, William Balfour, was charged Dec. 2 with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion.
PLAXICO SUED OVER TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: Suspended Giants star accused of rear-ending a woman in May and not having insurance.
*Suspended New York Giants player Plaxico Burress has been sued in Florida's Broward County Circuit Court by a woman who says he rear-ended her in a May car crash and had no insurance on his nearly $140,000 Mercedes-Benz.
A document provided to the Associated Press by the woman's attorney indicates that his car insurance lapsed three days before the crash because, according to a letter from Allstate, Burress neglected to pay his premiums.
The wide receiver continues to serve a team suspension for shooting himself Nov. 29 in a nightclub with an illegally carried handgun. Burress shot himself at the Latin Quarter when he accidentally pulled the trigger on the .40-caliber Glock that was in his pants after fumbling a drink. Teammate Antonio Pierce took him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment.
Burress, 31, pleaded not guilty and was released on $100,000 bail. He is due back in court March 31. He was placed on the team's suspended/non-football injury list, and the NFL Players Association filed a grievance.
The union said the Giants violated the collective bargaining agreement when they placed Burress on that list, suspended him for the final four games of the regular season and fined him an additional week's salary for conduct detrimental to the team.
'MURPHY AS RIDDLER' REPORTER STANDS BY STORY: Writer for UK tabloid comes forward following ridicule.
*Reports earlier this month that Eddie Murphy was cast as The Riddler in the next Batman movie were immediately shot down by Warner Bros. as untrue, but the reporter who announced the news continues to stand by his story.
U.K.-based tabloid The Sun also claimed that "Transformer" star Shia LaBeouf would play Robin and the title of the film will be "Gotham."
Even though Warner Bros., director Christopher Nolan and various executives attached to the franchise have all gone on record saying there has been no casting on the still-untitled film, let alone a script, Sun reporter Gordon Smart claims his story was based on “a reliable contact” close to the film, reports The Guardian.
Smart also claims that the same anonymous source was responsible for another rumor back in 2005 that turned out to be true: the casting of Daniel Craig as the new (at the time) James Bond.
“Everyone had a crack at us when we published that one. I was almost laughed out of conference that day, but it turned out to be spot on," wrote Smart in a recent post on The Guardian's Film Blog. "I wish I had had a bet on it.”
EVE TO GUEST STAR ON CBS' 'NUMB3RS': Rapper/actress to play a suspect caught in a stolen sneaker case.
*Rapper-actress Eve is set to make a guest appearance in the CBS drama "Numb3rs," which follows an FBI Special Agent who is aided in solving crimes by his mathematical genius brother.
In an upcoming episode for the show's current fourth season, Eve will play a sales rep at a sneaker company who is suspected of stealing a valuable pair of shoes that end up in the hands of a criminal network.
According to CBS, the episode finds the "FBI chasing a very valuable pair of sneakers as they pass through one criminal after another."
"Numb3rs," which stars Rob Morrow as the FBI agent and David Krumholtz as his brother, airs Fridays at 10 p.m.
OBAMA TO BE SWORN IN ON LINCOLN BIBLE: President-elect will be the first incoming Head of State to use that Bible since Lincoln himself.
*The bible touched by President Abraham Lincoln while he was sworn in as the nation's 16th president will be taken out of its resting place at the Library of Congress and used next month for the inauguration in of our 44th Commander-in-Chief.
According to the Associated Press, Barack Obama will be the first president since Lincoln to use that Bible when he is sworn in on Jan. 20.
"President-elect Obama is deeply honored that the Library of Congress has made the Lincoln Bible available for use during his swearing-in," Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Emmett Beliveau said in a statement Tuesday.
The burgundy velvet Bible with gilded edges was purchased and inscribed by William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the Supreme Court. It will be on display at the Library of Congress February 12 to May 9 as part of an exhibition titled "With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition."
The exhibit will then travel to five other American cities in commemoration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth on Feb. 12, 1809.
Obama will also trace the train route that Lincoln took and hold a welcome event at the Lincoln Memorial ahead of his inauguration.
PHILANT JOHNSON'S KILLER SENTENCED: Man convicted of killing friend/assistant of T.I. gets 66 years to life.
*The man who was convicted of killing a friend and assistant of rapper T.I. has been sentenced to 66 years to life in prison, reports the Associated Press.
A Cincinnati jury last month convicted 34-year-old Hosea Thomas of murder, felonious assault and illegally having a gun after a felony conviction.
Philant Johnson was shot and killed in May 2006 during a running gun battle on Interstate 75 that followed a T.I. concert in Cincinnati. Three others were injured.
The rap star, whose real name is Clifford Harris, testified during Thomas' trial and said he believed the shots fired at his entourage were really meant for him. The Grammy-winning rapper was not hurt.
MIJAC'S REP ADDRESSES HEALTH SCARE REPORTS: Spokesman calls them 'total fabrication.'
*A spokesman for Michael Jackson released a statement late Monday refuting reports that the singer is in desperate need of a lung transplant due to a rare respiratory disease.
The statement, attributed to Jackson's "official and sole spokesperson, Dr. Tohme Tohme" and issued by Los Angeles firm Scoop Marketing, addresses an interview with writer Ian Halperin in British newspaper the Sunday Express in which Halperin said Jackson was suffering from Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency.
Halperin, who is writing an unauthorized biography of the singer, also claims Jackson can barely speak, suffers from emphysema and internal bleeding, and has lost 95 percent of the vision in his left eye.
"Concerning this author's allegations, we would hope in the future that legitimate media will not continue to be exploited by such an obvious attempt to promote this unauthorized 'biography,'" said the statement attributed to Tohme.
"The writer's wild allegations concerning Mr. Jackson's health are a total fabrication," the statement said. "Mr. Jackson is in fine health and finalizing negotiations with a major entertainment company and television network for both a world tour and a series of specials and appearances."
MORE J.LO/MARC ANTHONY RUMORS: Page Six now claiming she sends an assistant on the road with hubby to spy.
*Although reps for married couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have denied recent rumors that the two are on the outs, the New York Post forges on with yet another report of trouble in paradise.
Despite the fact that the couple renewed its vows in October, a source tells Page Six that Lopez used to send her assistant on tour with Anthony while she stayed at home with their twins.
"She wanted reports back so he didn't cheat on her," the source is quoted as saying.
Both Lopez and Anthony have recently been photographed without their wedding rings. They are also reportedly selling the $8.5 million Bel Air estate where they were married in June 2004.
DIDDY LAUNCHES 'I AM KING' WEB SITE: Mogul asks fans to upload their videos explaining why they are kings.
*Sean John Fragrances has launched a brand new Web site for Sean "Diddy" Combs' newest men's fragrance, I Am King -- www.seanjohn-iamking.com.
Immediately upon entering, the user is immersed into the I Am King lifestyle, depicting images of Combs jet-skiing through the waters of St. Tropez, racing from helicopter to palatial yachts, and at a grand casino with supermodels Bar Rafaeli and Ana Paula.
"The Web site captures the life of the modern day king -- he is daring and mysterious, powerful, with a sexy swagger," said a press release.
In the first three days of its launch, the Web site has received over 33,200 views, with 72 video submissions, a testament to the success of the Sean John brand.
On the site, Diddy posts a link asking fans to upload their videos onto YouTube, explaining why they are modern day kings. Diddy will select the top three submissions, and those winners will be flown to New York City to be treated like royalty, experiencing ultimate luxury.
The three individuals with the winning video submissions will receive business class airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations and local transportation. In addition, each will receive a $500 shopping spree at the Sean John flagship store, dinner and an evening out at a NYC nightclub. The three winners will also tour the offices of Bad Boy Entertainment and receive one limited edition I Am King Lucite box.
HILL HARPER FILM DUE ON DVD: 'This Is Not a Test' pokes fun at current administration's fear campaign.
*Image Entertainment will release the award-winning satire "This Is Not A Test," starring Hill Harper and Tom Arnold, on Jan. 20 via DVD and VOD.
Written, directed and produced by Christopher Angel and co-produced by Eric Hayes and Harper, the film tackles the government's fear campaign to the American people, dealing candidly with the hot-button topics of terrorism, natural disasters, and fear that leads to the question, "Are We Prepared?"
Paranoid that terrorists will unleash a nuclear attack on Los Angeles, Carl (Harper) gets caught up in a web of frantic, overzealous preparation that puts a cold-war freeze on his relationship with his beautiful wife, Viv (Robinne Lee).
Fueling his hysteria is his new pal and unusual ally Tom Arnold (playing himself), who shares Carl's obsessive zeal to prepare for the worst. Carl goes as far as constructing a bomb shelter in his basement, making everyone around him feel he has lost his mind.
"I was provoked by the government's bungled response to Katrina and I wondered what would have happened in a city like Los Angeles. I wanted to use humor to spur debate on a serious issue," says director Christopher Angel.
KNICKS PLAYER SUED OVER EXPENSIVE CLOTHES: Eddy Curry accused of skipping out on bill at menswear store.
*New York Knicks center Eddy Curry was sued Wednesday by a Chicago-based men's clothing company that claims he has yet to fork over thousands of dollars to settle unpaid bills.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Curry – a former Chicago Bulls star – "racked up a bill of more than $41,000 at Casual Male Retail Group, and two years later it remains unpaid."
The company says Curry owes an additional $5,424 in interest from his
2006 shopping sprees.
'It's just a matter of him buying clothing he didn't pay for,' said Edward Margolis, the attorney representing Casual Male and Jared M. Custom Clothing, a business popular with professional athletes that once was owned by Casual Male.
Purchases on Curry's shopping trips, which occurred between January and April 2006, included $22,000 in suits, eight sweaters ranging from a $750 wool crew-neck to a $1,390 cashmere V-neck and more than $3,700 in ties.
BALIEY RAE'S HUSBAND ACCIDENTALLY OVERDOSED: Coroner releases official cause of death.
*A coroner has ruled that an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol killed the husband of singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae.
Police found the body of Scottish-born Jason Rae, 31, at a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, on March 22. Leeds Coroner's Court said the saxophonist had alcohol and methadone, a heroin substitute, in his blood.
He also found traces of cocaine and ecstasy during the post-mortem examination, but said those would not have contributed to Mr. Rae's death. Coroner David Hinchliff gave a verdict of "death by misadventure," according to reports.
Bailey Rae, 29, met her husband at a Leeds jazz club where she was working as a cloakroom attendant. They married in 2001.
In a statement read by the coroner in court, the singer, who was not present, said her husband had struggled with alcohol for "a few years."
"My husband is my first and only true love," she said. "He is the most beautiful and complex person I have ever known. He is utterly irreplaceable."
Rae's band played as a backing band for Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson and Bailey Rae herself, and had recently released a debut album, "Hot Damn!," at the time of his death.
ITTY BITTY BITS: 'Nite Tales'; Four Tops, Blind Boys get Grammy honors; Oprah's D.C. hotel stay; Maxim loves Rihanna; Madonna adopting African girl?
*BET and Paramount Home Entertainment will release the horror DVD "Nite Tales" on Feb. 3. Written, directed and produced by Deon Taylor, the disc's two films are hosted by Flavor Flav and star Tony Todd, Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr and Tyrin Turner. In “Karma,” a bank heist turns into a life and death struggle. In "Storm,” a group of college students take refuge from a violent rainstorm. After they offer a stranger shelter, one of them turns up dead and as the rain continues to fall, so do the bodies.
*The Four Tops and the Blind Boys of Alabama are among the honorees for a lifetime achievement Grammy award on Feb. 7, organizers announced. Other honorees include jazz pianist Hank Jones, late crooner Dean Martin, late singing cowboy Gene Autry, country-pop singer Brenda Lee and folk singer/songwriter Tom Paxton. The awards will be handed out in Los Angeles, the day before the 51st annual Grammy awards ceremony.
*The New York Post's Page Six is reporting that Oprah Winfrey has booked the $15,000-a-night Royal Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C. for five nights during Barack Obama's Inauguration week. The news comes on the heels of Winfrey's rep denying reports that she was thinking about purchasing a $50 million, nine-bedroom Georgetown mansion to be closer to the Obama White House.
*Singer Rihanna earned a place on Maxim’s Young Hot Hollywood List, which appears in the January 2009 issue of the men's magazine. She joins seven other celebrities who were chosen for their potential to be "Hollywood’s new guard of A-list icons.” Others on the Hot Hollywood list include Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively and "House's" Oliva Wilde. Rihanna earned her spot for becoming “the hottest pop star of the decade.”
*Madonna is reportedly about to adopt another child from Malawi. According to Star magazine, the pop icon is said to have signed paperwork to adopt four-year-old girl Mercy James from the same African country where she adopted her son David Banda in 2006. The girl's grandfather has allegedly confirmed the exchange will occur early next year. "It breaks our hearts to know she will leave us, but adoption is best for her," he told the magazine.
James' mother Mwandida died at 18, just days after giving birth to her daughter.
RACIAL DISPARITY IN HOSPICE CARE: New study finds rules may deter some African Americans.
*Reuters Health is reporting that African Americans are less likely than whites to seek end-of-life hospice care -- and a new study suggests that hospice admission criteria may be partially to blame.
The researchers found that compared with whites African Americans are more likely to want to continue aggressive treatment and expressed a need for more services. The findings also suggest it might be time to redesign hospice enrollment rules, the investigators suggest.
Hospice is an interdisciplinary program that offers terminally ill patients palliative care -- treating pain and other physical and emotional symptoms to make patients more comfortable in their last months of life.
Right now, Medicare will pay for hospice care only when patients have a life expectancy of no more than 6 months and are willing to forgo any further attempts at curative treatment, lead investigator Dr. Jessica Fishman of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia state in the medical journal Cancer.
The Medicare criteria were designed to control costs, Fishman's team notes, but they have "substantially reduced access to hospice for many patients who have needs for hospice services, and a disproportionate number of these patients are African American."
The study included 283 cancer patients who were estimated to have 6 months or less to live. The researchers interviewed them about their preferences for continuing aggressive treatment and about their perceived need for various hospice services -- like having a home health aide help them with daily tasks, or getting counseling for depression or anxiety.
As mentioned, Fishman and her colleagues found that African American patients were more likely than white patients to want to continue treatment, but they also voiced a greater perceived need for hospice services.
The latter finding, the researchers say, seemed to be explained by the fact that African Americans generally had fewer financial resources than white patients. The results, Fishman's team argues, indicate that Medicare criteria "do not select those patients with the greatest needs for hospice services."
The rules are also "unfair," the researchers contend, pointing out that other Medicare-supported services do not require patients to forgo one treatment to get another.
"To the degree that this eligibility requirement prevents hospice use by the patients with the greatest needs," the researchers write, "it fails to fulfill its purpose and should be reconsidered."
EUR FILM REVIEW: Frost/Nixon
Langella and Sheen Reprise Roles in Adaptation of Broadway Play
Film Review by Kam Williams
*On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned from the Presidency in disgrace after becoming hopelessly implicated in the Watergate cover-up.
He retreated from the public eye for two and one-half years, until he agreed to a series of TV interviews with David Frost with the hope of resurrecting his tarnished image.
Frost, a British talk show host whose own career was floundering, paid the former president $600,000 plus a percentage of the profits for the exclusive opportunity.
And that investment proved to be worth the risk, as over 45 million viewers tuned in to watch the eagerly-anticipated tete-a-tete.
However, anyone expecting to see Nixon make an admission of guilt was ultimately left disappointed, as he remained rather emphatic in his denial of any knowledge of a cover-up during their uneventful chat.
Nonetheless, the truth didn't get in the way of Peter Morgan's (The Queen) writing a sensationalized version of the historic showdown which he has culminating in a confession by Tricky Dick.
Morgan specializes in such fictionalized character studies of historical figures, with both The Queen (Helen Mirren) and The Last King of Scotland (Forest Whitaker) leading to Oscar wins for the actors in the title roles.
Frost/Nixon, which stars Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, premiered in London to critical acclaim before being brought to Broadway where the hoarse-voiced Langella landed a Tony for his uncanny Nixon impersonation.
This screen adaptation of the play is heartily recommended provided you aren't likely to be bothered by the fact that its most compelling moments have been completely fabricated.
One critical contrivance revolves around a phone call a drunk Nixon never made to Frost in the middle of the night, another around the President's capitulation and acknowledgement that he had committed a crime. Director Ron Howard, here, is basically offering any still-embittered, fellow Baby Boomers a belated opportunity to bask in Nixon's humiliation.
Unfortunately, while certainly entertaining in terms of its speculation about the awkward, mutually-dependent relationship of its two principal figures, the movie feels a bit anticlimactic since, by today's standards, Nixon's alleged high crimes and misdemeanors pale in comparison to the mess about to be left behind by the Bush Administration.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for profanity.
Running time: 122 minutes
Studi Universal Pictures
To see a trailer for Frost/Nixon, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibxs_2nDXUc
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening Christmas Day, 2008
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Bedtime Stories (PG for crude humor and mild epithets) Adam Sandler stars in this fanciful fairy tale about a hotel handyman whose life changes when the imaginative bedtime stories he shares with his niece (Laura Ann Kesling) and nephew (Jonathan Morgan Heit) magically start becoming true. Cast includes Courteney Cox, Richard Griffiths, Gut Pearce, Keri Russell and Tessa Palmer.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, smoking and brief war violence) Brad Pitt shares the title role with several other actors in David Fincher's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale about a man born old who gradually grows younger over the course of his life. Cast includes Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Taraji P. Henson and Elle Fanning.
Last Chance Harvey (PG-13 for brief profanity) Midlife crisis drama about a down-on-his-luck, divorced jingle writer (Dustin Hoffman) from New York who travels to London for the wedding of his estranged daughter (Liane Balaban) only to embark on a whirlwind romance with a lonely British bureaucrat (Emma Thompson) he meets in a pub. With James Brolin, Kathy Baker and Eileen Atkins.
Marley & Me (PG for mature themes and suggestive language) Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson co-star in this family comedy about a couple of newlyweds who move from Michigan to Florida where they learn a host of life lessons from their mischievous Labrador retriever as he grows from a cute puppy into an uncontrollable,100-pound steamroller. Supporting cast includes Alan Arkin and syndicated columnist Dave Barry.
Revolutionary Road (R for profanity, sexuality and nudity) Titanic's Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite for this screen adaptation of Richard Yates' best-seller, set in the Fifties, about a married couple in crisis who move from Connecticut to Paris to escape suburbia while trying to revitalize their relationship.
The Spirit (PG-13 for stylized violence, sexuality and brief nudity) Frank Miller directs this screen adaptation of Will Eisner's superhero comic book series about a murdered rookie cop (Gabriel Macht) who returns from the dead as a crime-fighting masked crusader. Cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes.
Valkyrie (PG-13 for violence and brief profanity) Tom Cruise stars in this true World War II tale about several high-ranking Nazi officers who conspire to assassinate Adolf Hitler (David Bamber) in July of 1944. Ensemble includes Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Carice van Houten, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard and Tom Wilkinson and Thomas Kretschmann. (In English and German with subtitles)
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
The Secret of the Grain (Unrated) Cross-cultural drama, set in the seacoast town of Sete, revolving around the frustrating adjustment to life in France by a family of Arab immigrants headed by a divorced and depressed, 61 year-old patriarch (Habib Boufares) who dreams of opening his own restaurant. (In French, Arabic and Russian with subtitles)
Theater of War (Unrated) Drama-driven documentary featuring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Tony Kushner takes a look at the life and ideas of playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) via a NYC Public Theater production of his play "Mother Courage." (In English and German with subtitles)
Waltz with Bashir (R for grisly violence, disturbing images of atrocities, a scene containing graphic sexuality and brief nudity) Animated bio-pic about an Israeli Army veteran (Ari Folman) left haunted by amnesia about a mission he participated in during the first war with Lebanon back in the Eighties. (In Hebrew, German and English with subtitles)
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Nothing is permanent but change." — Heraclitus
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Dec. 24: Singer Ricky Martin is 37. "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest is 34.
Dec. 25: Singer John Edwards of The Spinners is 64.
Dec. 26: Singer Abdul "Duke" Fakir of the Four Tops is 73.
Dec. 27: Actor John Amos ("Men In Trees," "The West Wing") is 69.
Dec. 28: Saxophonist Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers is 70.
Actor Denzel Washington is 54. Singer John Legend is 30.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
*Tag along as an African American male travels around the world alone on a budget (http://nodebtworldtravel.com)
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Dec. 24, 1992: The position of Secretary of Agriculture was awarded to Alphonso Michael "Mike" Espy, making him the first black person to hold this position.
Dec. 25, Jupiter Hammon, a New York slave who was probably the first black poet, published An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries.
Dec. 26, 1908: Jack Johnson becomes first black world heavyweight champion, defeating Tommy Burns.
Dec. 27, 1892: Livingstone and Biddle College (now Johnson C. Smith) play the first African American intercollegiate football game.
Dec. 28, 1897: C.V. Richey patents Fire Escape bracket. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
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