World leaders pay tribute to Pavarotti
MODENA, Italy, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Hours after Luciano Pavarotti's death, tributes from world leaders poured into his hometown of Modena, Italy, ANSA reported Thursday.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano called Pavarotti "one of the best-loved ambassadors for our country's musical tradition."
"Pavarotti entertained audiences with his perfect pitch and charismatic interpretations," said U.S. President George W. Bush, adding the vocalist was also a great humanitarian who used his "magnificent talent" to rally support for victims of tragedies around the globe.
Russia's Vladimir Putin declared Pavarotti's death "a great loss, not only for Italy but also for world culture as a whole."
He asked the Italian president to extend "the deepest condolences to Pavarotti's family on my behalf and that of millions of Russian citizens."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Pavarotti "inspired many people to approach opera and appreciate it," while French President Nicolas Sarkozy called him "the best incarnation of the great popular tenor after Enrico Caruso" and Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he was "saddened" by his death.
"Pavarotti's golden voice will ring out as long as the Met exists," said Peter Gelb, general manager of New York's Metropolitan Opera.
Pavarotti died Thursday at his home. He had been being treated for pancreatic cancer.
Gainsbourg suffers brain hemorrhage
LONDON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- British actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg has undergone surgery in Paris following a small brain hemorrhage, the BBC said Thursday.
Gainsbourg, 36, had been involved in a water-skiing accident in the United States several months ago and sought medical attention after she suffered persistent headaches, her agent, Dominique Segall, told the BBC.
Segall added that the actress is "doing very well."
A popular fixture in French films, Gainsbourg had been at the Venice Film Festival this week to support her film, "I'm Not There," which is about U.S. singer Bob Dylan.
The daughter of late French singer Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin was expected to leave the hospital Friday, the BBC said.
'On the Road' film back on track
NEW YORK, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Hollywood screenwriter Jose Rivera confirmed he has written a script for the long-awaited film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's classic book "On the Road."
"I’ve been told by the producers not to say too much," Rivera told UPI in New York. "But I will tell you, yes, I have written a screenplay and Walter Salles is directing it. This has been in the works for 28 years, way before I ever got involved. As far as I know, everyone is very happy with the script and everyone thinks Walter is the man that can do it and they have been trying to cast the film."
Rivera, whose new movie "Trade," hits theaters this month, previously worked with Salles on the acclaimed film "The Motorcycle Diaries."
Asked why it has taken so long to bring "On the Road" to the big screen, Rivera said: "It's a difficult book. It's full of incredible moments and scenes, but it is a big, sprawling thing... you need to find 'the' story."
He added that finding away to activate the "very passive" central character and make him into a "filmic role" has been his biggest challenge.
Tim Burton honored at Venice Film Festival
VENICE, Italy, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Hollywood filmmaker Tim Burton was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival, Variety.com reported Thursday.
His long-time friend and frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, said as he presented the award: "Tim is a rare breed in today's cinema: he is a true original, a true artist, a true auteur. He's my favorite director and friend. So ... let's give him the thing, man."
Burton accepted the honor and offered an eight-minute preview of his upcoming film "Sweeney Todd," which stars Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter, the mother of Burton’s 4-year-old son, Billy Ray, and a child due this year.
The clip of Burton’s adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical featured Carter and Depp singing "My Friends."
"I am just trying to make an old-fashioned horror movie with music in it," Burton said, adding he looked to old Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre movies for inspiration.
"It's quite uncharted territory. I don't think there are that many horror movie musicals out there these days. It will be interesting to see what happens with it."
"Sweeney Todd" is Burton and Depp's sixth collaboration.
