Disney: Mickey's next store is in China (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh are setting up shop in China.

Walt Disney Co plans to open 25 to 40 stores in China over the next three years, with its first shop on track to open in the world's most populous country this fall, a top company executive told Reuters.

The news comes as the world's largest media conglomerate, home to iconic brands that also include Donald Duck and Snow White, looks beyond mature markets such as the United States and Europe for new sources of revenue.

"China is very important to overall Disney company plans, obviously with the launch of the Shanghai Disneyland Park. So, it is probably the newest country that is getting the most focus," Jim Fielding, president of Disney Stores Worldwide, said in an exclusive interview. Disney broke ground on the Shanghai Disneyland theme park in April 2011.

Also, Disney characters are not new to China.

"Because the licensing division has had a presence in China already, there is affinity for the brand and affinity for characters," he said. "The market is ready."

Disney has signed a lease for its first store in Shanghai and is looking at sites in other cities such as Beijing, Fielding said.

"We are focusing on tier-one cities in very high population and tourist locations, very similar to what we look at around the world," Fielding explained.

The difference will be in Disney's strategy to woo the Chinese.

"The product assortment is definitely localized to Chinese consumers and Chinese knowledge because they don't know all the Disney characters that people know in America and in Europe," he said.

For instance, he expects Disney's China stores to carry more products under the Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh labels and fewer of the Princess dolls.

Disney refused to say how much it planned to invest in China.

Rising consumer wealth and a huge population make China an attractive destination for many companies, but cracking the Chinese market has not been an easy task, with challenges ranging from counterfeiting to cultural differences.

For instance, U.S. electronics chain Best Buy closed all of its namesake stores in China last year to cut costs. Toy maker Mattel shut its six-story flagship Barbie store in Shanghai early last year.

"At the top of the list of problems many U.S. businesses face in China is the protection of their intellectual property rights," Mark Zandi, analyst at Moody's. The rising cost of doing business in China is also becoming more of an issue for some U.S. businesses.

EUROPE STILL CHALLENGED

While Disney is excited about its prospects in China, it is not as optimistic about other markets.

"The European business is extremely challenging right now," Fielding said citing economic pressures in the region. "The North American and Japanese markets are ... stable for us."

Disney, which opened its first store in 1987, made a push in the past year to take its interactive, retail format to upscale malls in newer markets, on both sides of the Atlantic.

The company plans to open 13 new and remodeled Disney Store locations in North America this year, with Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Utah and Virginia, all on tap to get their first new concept stores. In Europe, Disney plans to open its newly designed store in Milan, Italy next month.

Disney's new stores have more features to entertain shoppers, such as a table where kids can assemble cars from the Disney-Pixar "Cars" movie to a two-story princess castle that kids can enter.

Disney, which already has more than 200 North American stores, more than 40 locations in Japan and more than 100 stores in Europe, has said it aims to convert all of its current stores to the new format as part of a five-year plan.

(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/media_nm/us_disney_china

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Yo Gotti And Saigon To Thug It Out On 'RapFix Live'

Watch the MCs chop it up with Sway on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com.
By Rob Markman


Yo Gotti
Photo: Courtesy of TVT Records

Last week, "RapFix Live" kicked off 2012 in grand fashion. Not only did Maino take over the red couch to give us his predictions for the next month (hint: he, Katy Perry and Rihanna fall into a love triangle), but Virginia rapper Skillz also came through to perform his "2011 Rap Up." This week, Yo Gotti will swing through and fill Sway in on his long-awaited major-label debut, Live From the Kitchen

The Memphis spitter has reigned as one of rap's most exciting underground artists thanks to his Cocaine Muzik mixtape series. And he's also notched a few hits on his belt, including the 2009 club banger "5 Star" featuring Gucci Mane, Trina and an up-and-coming Nicki Minaj. The song would go on to peak at #11 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. Even though label drama led to album delay, Gotti continued to make hits. Next up was "Woman Lie, Men Lie" with Lil Wayne, then "For the Hood" with Gucci Mane and 2011's sing-songy "We Can Get it On."

If Yo Gotti weren't enough, Brooklyn MC Saigon will also stop by "RapFix Live" on Wednesday. Giddy made a serious impact in 2011 when he finally dropped his critically acclaimed debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told. On Monday (January 9), Sai premiered his OutKast-sampling track, "I Am 4 Real," on MTV's RapFix blog. "I Am 4 Real" is the first track off of Sai's upcoming Warning Shots 3: One Foot in the Grave mixtape.

Catch Yo Gotti and Saigon on "RapFix Live" Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com, and be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive. And send your questions to @MTVRapFiX!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676968/yo-gotti-saigon-rapfix-live-interview.jhtml

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Sheen's ex-wife won't have court appearance filmed (AP)

ASPEN, Colo. ? Attorneys for Charlie Sheen's ex-wife have prevailed in keeping a celebrity-news website from airing her appearance in a Colorado courtroom on drug and assault charges.

The Aspen Times reports that a Pitkin County judge has denied a request from TMZ to air the Jan. 23 proceeding for Brooke Mueller ( http://goo.gl/wsjmI). District Judge Gail Nichols said the live courtroom feed would "unduly detract from the solemnity, decorum and dignity of the court."

TMZ petitioned the court last month to access Mueller's first court appearance, where she is to answer to a felony charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and a misdemeanor assault offense. Aspen police arrested the 34-year-old on Dec. 3 after a woman reported being assaulted at a nightclub.

Sheen and Mueller divorced last year.

___

Information from: The Aspen Times, http://www.aspentimes.com/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120107/ap_en_ot/us_mueller_sheen_arrest

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Google for iOS updated, gets new Hangout features and photo album layout

Google?s G+ iOS update has just gone live in the App Store. Like the Android app, this version includes the hot new ability to start a hangout from a Google+ Messenger conversation.

Along with plenty of bug fixes, the update also features a redesign of the photo album view, which showcases a cleaner UI with overlaid titles in a Flipboard-like fashion. As in the previous versions, this release includes all the functionality you need to unitize Google+ on your iPhone, but offers up more polish to the social network?s mobile presence.

Google?s continued development on iOS shows that it is still working hard to keep its footing as a viable service provider for iPhone users, despite Apple?s strict guidelines. At this point, working with Apple can only help the young social network as it continues to grow rapidly.

This past December, Google+ may have had its biggest traffic month of all time, unofficially passing?62 million users?(adding 625K users daily). Clearly, staying fresh is a priority for Google ? and rightfully so.

???Google+, via the App Store

gplus Google+ for iOS updated, gets new Hangout features and photo album layout

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNextWebGoogle/~3/iFqONf0lB9k/story01.htm

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Couple commit suicide over debt

Like this story, share it with millions of investors on M3


Like this story, share it with millions of investors on M3

Couple commit suicide over debt

Couple commit suicide over debt

Kanpur, Jan 7 (PTI) A newly-married couple allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a train, police said today. Santosh, who was a manager in an insurance company had some heated argument with his wife last night, police said, adding that after that the two left home and jumped in front of a moving train at the Shyamnagar rail crossing near their home. Both died on the spot. The couple got married last November. Initial enquiries have revealed the couple had an argument over some debt which caused them to take the extreme step, police said. In another case of suicide, a woman allegedly hanged self after an altercation with her husband in Kalyanpur area this morning.

( Enjoy Moneycontrol.com on iPad and be prepared for a fantastic experience. Get real time stock quotes, interactive charts, market buzz, and watch CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz live on your iPad. Check out the free moneycontrol app. Click here to download now )??

Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/couple-commit-suicide-over-debt_647051.html

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Romney?s family in Mexico reveals candidate?s heritage south of border

It??s a lit?t?le kn?own? f?act? t?h?at? t?h?er?e?s a wh?ole b?r?an?ch? of? M?it?t? R?om?n?ey?s f?am?ily liv?in?g sout?h? of? t?h?e b?or?der?. R?om?n?ey?s gr?eat? gr?an?df?at?h?er? lef?t? t?h?e U.S. f?or? M?exico t?o escape pr?osecut?ion? f?or? polygam?y.

Source: http://www.mexicovacationforum.com/?p=12150

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SimplyFrugal: Old Navy Canada ? Extra 15% off Everything http://t.co/vSLCuv8X

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Opponents fall short of challenging California Dream Act

SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Jan 6, 2012 11:36pm EST

SAN FRANCISCO

(Reuters) - Organizers have failed to gather enough signatures for a California voter initiative aimed at barring illegal immigrants from receiving public aid for college, a leader of the campaign said on Friday.

The petition drive led by state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Republican, took aim at 2011 legislation known as the California Dream Act.

The first part of the legislation signed into law in July by Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, allowed illegal immigrants to receive privately funded college scholarships.

The second part of the legislation signed in October also extended state-funded aid to certain illegal immigrants, and that is what opponents sought to overturn.

The effort to put a measure on the ballot to repeal that bill required 504,760 signatures, but organizers were only able to gather 447,514 signatures, Donnelly said.

Donnelly told supporters in a written statement that, despite failing to gather enough signatures, his group's effort was "no less of a warning to Governor Brown, and every Democrat legislator who voted to create a new entitlement program for illegals while the state still has a budget deficit."

Friday was the deadline for the opponents of the California Dream Act to submit their signatures to election officials, according to the group's website, which referred to the legislation as the "nightmare act."

Earlier this week, Donnelly was cited for misdemeanor gun possession after he was found to have a loaded gun in his carry-on luggage when he was stopped at a screening point at a Southern California airport. Donnelly said he had forgotten to take the gun out of his bag.

The two-part California Dream Act was authored by state Senator Gil Cedillo, a Democrat. He said in a statement that the proposed ballot measure would have taken the state in a "very negative, destructive and intentionally divisive direction."

Brown and other proponents of the California Dream Act argue it gives college-age illegal immigrants important education and skills they could use to contribute to the state's economy.

In Maryland, opponents of a 2011 bill that extended in-state tuition to illegal immigrants have qualified a measure for the November ballot aimed at overturning the law.

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Peter Bohan)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/07/us-dream-act-california-idUSTRE80605R20120107?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

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Inside_Lacrosse: NFL Playoff action today. Only a matter of time til we're crowning a new NCAA lax champion in Foxborough.

Loader NFL Playoff action today. Only a matter of time til we're crowning a new NCAA lax champion in Foxborough.

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