Children born to teen mothers have delayed development, likely due to social factors

Public release date: 16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Geoff Koehler
koehlerg@smh.ca
416-864-6060 x6537
St. Michael's Hospital

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2013--Babies born to teen mothers have less developed speaking skills at age five than children of older mothers, a new study has found.

"We don't believe that having a baby in your teens is the cause of underdeveloped speaking skills," said Dr. Julia Morinis, the lead author and researcher in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health of St. Michael's Hospital. "It's likely that being a teen mother is a risk factor that indicates poorer circumstance for development opportunities in some cases."

Dr. Morinis points to teen mothers' limited opportunities for education and well-paid jobs or single parenthood as social factors that have a significant negative impact on childhood development.

"Most differences in non-verbal and spatial abilities between these two groups of children can be attributed to significant sociodemographic inequalities in circumstance," said Dr. Morinis. "But for verbal ability, there seems to be more going on."

The study, published online today in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, identified parenting involvement such as playing, reading, and singing with the child was predictive of higher-level child development.

"In Ontario, we're fortunate to have free services like Early Years Centres that can help offset the effects of being born into a negative social situation," said Dr. Morinis, who is also a staff physician at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Ontario Early Years Centres offer children up to the age of six and their caregivers opportunities to take part in programs and activities together. Early Years Centres, library programs or drop-in play programs are resources Dr. Morinis recommends to families that are concerned about increasing parenting involvement and improving child development.

The study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a long-term nationally representative study of almost 19,000 children born between 2000 and 2001 across Britain. These children were assessed for reasoning skills and intelligence when they were five years old.

More research is needed to more closely monitor and engage with families of young parents to determine the differences in their interactions and the child's abilities are.

###

Dr. Morinis's research was funded by a scholarship from the Clarendon Fund at the University of Oxford. The Millennium Cohort study was funded by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Media contacts

For more information, or to arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact:

Geoff Koehler

Adviser, Media Relations

416-864-6060 ext. 6537

koehlerg@smh.ca

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Geoff Koehler
koehlerg@smh.ca
416-864-6060 x6537
St. Michael's Hospital

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2013--Babies born to teen mothers have less developed speaking skills at age five than children of older mothers, a new study has found.

"We don't believe that having a baby in your teens is the cause of underdeveloped speaking skills," said Dr. Julia Morinis, the lead author and researcher in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health of St. Michael's Hospital. "It's likely that being a teen mother is a risk factor that indicates poorer circumstance for development opportunities in some cases."

Dr. Morinis points to teen mothers' limited opportunities for education and well-paid jobs or single parenthood as social factors that have a significant negative impact on childhood development.

"Most differences in non-verbal and spatial abilities between these two groups of children can be attributed to significant sociodemographic inequalities in circumstance," said Dr. Morinis. "But for verbal ability, there seems to be more going on."

The study, published online today in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, identified parenting involvement such as playing, reading, and singing with the child was predictive of higher-level child development.

"In Ontario, we're fortunate to have free services like Early Years Centres that can help offset the effects of being born into a negative social situation," said Dr. Morinis, who is also a staff physician at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Ontario Early Years Centres offer children up to the age of six and their caregivers opportunities to take part in programs and activities together. Early Years Centres, library programs or drop-in play programs are resources Dr. Morinis recommends to families that are concerned about increasing parenting involvement and improving child development.

The study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a long-term nationally representative study of almost 19,000 children born between 2000 and 2001 across Britain. These children were assessed for reasoning skills and intelligence when they were five years old.

More research is needed to more closely monitor and engage with families of young parents to determine the differences in their interactions and the child's abilities are.

###

Dr. Morinis's research was funded by a scholarship from the Clarendon Fund at the University of Oxford. The Millennium Cohort study was funded by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Media contacts

For more information, or to arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact:

Geoff Koehler

Adviser, Media Relations

416-864-6060 ext. 6537

koehlerg@smh.ca

---

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| Share

]

 

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/smh-cbt101613.php
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TV's Top Showrunners Talk Deleted Scenes, Network Censorship, More

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Liz Meriwether, Dan Harmon, Aaron Sorkin

How I Met Your Mother's Carter Bays is still mourning the loss of Goodwin Games. New Girl's Liz Meriwether is coming clean about the do's and don'ts of "vagina" talk. And Community's reinstalled showrunner Dan Harmon is simply relieved security let him back on the lot.

Below, 13 top showrunners from this year's Power List offer candid responses about scrapped plans, debates in their writers room and the thing they wish they knew before becoming a showrunner.

PHOTOS: Power Showrunners: Inside the Minds Behind 'Walking Dead,' 'Bates Motel,' 'Arrow'

Before I became a showrunner, I wish someone had warned me about …

Beau Willimon (House of Cards): Fraturday -- when a night shoot on Friday night continues until Saturday morning. Think long weekend, but the opposite of that.

Aaron Sorkin (Newsroom): Having to write a second episode after the pilot.

Liz Meriwether (New Girl): All the sleep I would get! It's almost too much sleep!

Christopher Lloyd (Modern Family): Executives and notes. I'm often reminded of a story about Marvin Gaye. In his prime, he was a big strong guy, who fancied himself a decent boxer. One day he met this heavyweight fighter (not a champion, but a contender) and told him he wanted to spar with him. They made the date and Marvin Gaye came in kind of cocky, sure he was going to beat this guy, demanding that the guy not go easy on him, and … the guy kind of beat him up. Afterward, a reporter who had observed the whole thing asked the boxer why he'd done so and he said, "This is what I do all day long. This is all I've ever done. How could he disrespect me like that? This ring is my office."

Dan Harmon (Community): Capitalism.

Mara Brock Akil (The Game): The hair and makeup department! There should be a whole course on how to negotiate that!

Betsy Beers (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal) Keeping up with a network episodic schedule. The pace takes your breath away -- especially when you first start out -- and living at the office becomes the new normal. Oh, and the constant and endless supply of sugary food groups at said office. Beware …

The most memorable debate in our writers room this past year was …

Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy): If the skittish white guy in the alley outside our office was dealing crack or meth.

Carter Bays (How I Met Your Mother): First prize: Did Walt mean what he said on the phone with Skyler or was it all a smokescreen because he knew the cops were listening in? Runner up: Should we do a season nine?

Sorkin: Whether a particular line should reference Bridget Jones or Holly Golightly.

Harmon: Whether to replace departing castmembers with NFL players or just keep grabbing dead people from Breaking Bad.

Bill Lawrence (Cougar Town): Generally, these are about where to order lunch when we're working. No one has nailed this yet.

Craig Thomas (How I Met Your Mother): Whether or not to reveal "The Mother" from our show's title (Side-bar: I've decided to start avoiding the phrase "titular mother," because gross).

STORY: 10 Power Showrunners: A Day in the Life, From Carlton Cuse to Jenji Kohan

The toughest scene I had to write this past year was …

Sutter: Figuring out new and imaginative ways to blow shit up, kill a guy, chase down/run from an enemy. Adding original, organic action to the show gets more difficult every season.

Meriwether: Some reshoot stuff. But a lady never talks about reshoots unless the lady has a drink in her. Half a drink, to be honest.

Matthew Weiner (Mad Men): Don and Ted deciding to merge their companies.

Sorkin: The scene that opened with the season premiere and ended with the season finale.

I can't believe I got away with …

Meriwether: Getting Nick and Jess together. But now I feel like I jinxed it.

Weiner: Bob Benson's shorts.

Harmon: Seasons four, three, one and two in that order.

The moment I wish had made it to air but didn't was …

Meriwether: So many moments. There was one particular joke for Winston in the premiere that we couldn't get away with because of Standards and Practices. Lamorne [Morris] knocked it out of the park. I guess you're not allowed to use the word "in" as it relates to the word "vagina." It turns out almost no prepositions are allowed near that noun.

Beers: There was a wonderful scene from last season in episode 219 -- Olivia Pope, who is starting to undress in her bedroom, remembers Jake Ballard has placed surveillance in there. She proceeds to taunt him through the camera. A terrific performance from Kerry Washington -- and a nice twist at the end when we find out it isn't Jake Ballard who is watching!

Bays: The last six episodes of The Goodwin Games.

Sorkin: The scene in "One Step Too Many" that explained the title of the episode.

STORY: The Hollywood Reporter Names the 50 Power Showrunners of 2013

The episode from this past year that I wish we could do over would be …

Meriwether: The premiere.

Thomas: I'll up the ante on this question and go from "episode" to "series": I wish we could do The Goodwin Games over with the same amazing cast and crew, but on a network that would give it a real shot.

Bays: It's not from this last year, but season seven's "The Burning Beekeeper" will follow me to my grave. One more week of writing, one more week of shooting, one more week of editing, and it could have been something awesome. But that's how it goes when you have a 24 episode season. Sometimes you run out of time.

Sorkin: I've never written anything I wish I couldn't do over.

Weiner: What are you trying to say?

My proudest accomplishment this year was …

Harmon: Convincing security to let me back on the lot.

Lloyd: Finding a way to take two common sitcom stories -- a birth story and a proposal story -- and make them both funny and surprising, and ultimately touching.

Willimon: Remaining sane. Writing and producing 13 hours of story in six months is a form of voluntary insanity. A delicious, rewarding, exhilarating form of insanity, mind you. It takes a special breed of folks to put in 80 hour weeks for half a year. Luckily on our show the inmates get to run the asylum, and between our cast, crew, writers and designers, there's not other asylum I'd rather be committed to.

Thomas: The brief three or four seconds in May/June when Carter and I had two shows on TV (HIMYM and the all-too-short-lived The Goodwin Games.)

Lawrence: Hiring and empowering talented people like Adam Sztykiel (Undateable), Jeff Astrof (Ground Floor), Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (Surviving Jack) and Blake McCormick (Cougar Town) to run our TV shows. Then I just step in and take credit for all their hard work. Any work they can't do is handled by Jeff Ingold and Randall Winston (my partners). I generally just drink a lot of coffee.

STORY: Power Showrunners: 10 to Watch for 2014

If my writers were to describe my style as a showrunner in five words or less, they might say …

Salim Akil (The Game): Salim -- Loveable asshole.

Sutter: Control. Control. Control. Control. Weepy.

Lloyd: Respectful, respectfully demanding, always late.

Meriwether: "Go back to set, Liz."

Weiner: "You're looking tall today, sir."

Harmon: "Quick, he's sleeping, stab him."

Lawrence: Moderately effective, disorganized chaos.

Bays: Handsome, handsome, handsome, handsome, handsome!

Sorkin: Nobody on our show uses five words or less.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/live_feed/~3/ZaXWUY5FvIw/story01.htm
Tags: breast cancer awareness   zach mettenberger   Julius Thomas   VMA 2013   Jason Dufner  

Apple Cuts iPhone 5C Production (Report)

Apple is cutting back production of its lower-cost iPhone 5C for the fourth quarter, according to sources close to the two Taiwanese companies that assemble the device. The news gives ammunition to analysts who questioned the company’s pricing strategy for the new addition to the iPhone line.

The colorful, plastic encased iPhone 5C debuted in September along with the high-end iPhone 5S, which costs $100 more and comes with the fastest mass market smartphone chips to date, along with a fingerprint sensor. 

STORY: Apple iPhones Go on Sale in China, Posthaste

Apple told its Taiwanese assemblers Pegatron Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. that it would be cutting shipments of the iPhone 5C in the fourth quarter, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

Pegatron, which the Journal says assembles two thirds of Apple’s iPhone 5Cs, was told orders would be cut by less than 20 percent. Hon Hai, which assembles the rest of Apple’s 5Cs, was told its orders would be reduced by a third.

Prior to Apple’s iPhone release event in September, investors had been anticipating, and arguing for, the company to release a lower cost model – with pricetag around  $350 --to compete in developing markets, such as China, where the company has been losing market share, because many consumers don’t have the disposable income for its “affordable luxury” class products. The iPhone 5C was the company’s answer to this demand, but analysts were disappointed by the $550-plus price point for the device. 

Consumer demand for the gold version of the 5S, however, has outstripped expectations, leading Apple to increase orders for that model.  

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHollywoodReporter-Technology/~3/28SlRw6_d3M/story01.htm
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Dear Monty: Dealing with 'condition issues' when selling your home ...

Posted by Wicked Local Staff on Oct 16, 2013 in Feed, Home & Garden | Comments Off

Reader question: My garage floods due to driveway runoff during heavy rains. I am getting ready to put the house on the market as I am relocating to a different state. Do I need to disclose this as a drainage issue on my seller’s disclosure? Thanks. Brad W.

Monty's answer: Hello, Brad, and thanks for your question. The law requires sellers to disclose defects or conditions that negatively affect value, affect the health of occupants or that if not repaired, removed or replaced would significantly shorten or adversely affect the expected average life of the premises.

It is the right step

As a seller, it is a smart idea to disclose even if the law did not require it. Doing so may eliminate the cost and likelihood of a future lawsuit or small claims judgment. Not disclosing the issue carries a high probability that whoever buys the property will become aware of it, and when they do, a neighbor will make an unwitting comment like “Oh, I thought they took care of that problem. He used to be hauling wet boxes out of the garage every week.” People have a tendency to become upset when they come to believe they have not been treated fairly.

Make the sale easy

Consider the idea of not having the issue on a seller condition report at all. If it has been correctly and permanently repaired, it is not a requirement to report a problem that no longer exists. Here is a quick test: If a buyer has two homes they like that are identical, except home “A” has water rushing into the garage during heavy rains and home “B” has no issues. Which property will they buy? Taking this test helps see the benefit of repair clearly. As a follow-up question, ask “How much would the seller of home “A” have to reduce the price to swing the buyer back over their way? The typical buyer does not want to buy a problem, unless there is a financial incentive.

You could save money

There are other positives in fixing the problem before placing the home on the market. By fixing it first, there is no already nervous homebuyer looking over your shoulder. Also, making the repair after a price is established for the home comes out of your pocket. When making the repair prior to a sale, the cost can often be factored into the asking price. Buyers have a tendency to overestimate the cost of repairs; so taking these potential issues out of the home selling equation are a plus.

Pay the buyer to do it

A common problem in real estate transactions is a buyer that complains because the seller's repair work is shoddy. A similar complaint is "They found the cheapest material." If money is tight, consider negotiating with the buyer to accept a reduced price for the cost of repairs. When the buyer completes, or supervises the repairs, it is difficult to have complaints.

A seller will often overlook the correct repair for an inexpensive method. Identify several contractor or concrete contractor "experts" and solicit 3 written proposals to fix the problem permanently. Make certain they include a “not to exceed” price. They each may have a different solution, and sometimes the least expensive one makes the most sense. If a seller cannot come up with the cash to make the necessary repairs, having 3 estimates to share with a buyer is a positive.

Make lemons into lemonade

In some cases, fixing the issue can also add a new selling point to the equation. For example, perhaps the best solution is to remove the concrete driveway, lower the grade 3 inches and re-pour the driveway. When driveways are cracked and un-even, fixing the water problem creates a home improvement, as well. If a below-grade cap gutter cut into the concrete outside the garage door is the best solution, it may also serve as a floor drain for the garage.

Most water-related issues could be repaired. The main exception is when the home is located in a flood zone.

 

Richard Montgomery gives no-nonsense real estate advice to readers most pressing questions. He is a real estate industry veteran who has championed industry reform for over a quarter century. You can ask him questions at DearMonty.com.

Source: http://wickedlocalhomes.com/homes/real-estate/2013/10/dear-monty-dealing-with-condition-issues-when-selling-your-home/
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Friday Gut Check: Should Malala have won the Nobel Prize?

Is it racist to want a ‘white Republican’ in the White House?

Morgan Whitaker, @morganwinn, Politics Nation

The man known as Joe the Plumber is pushing the assertion that the answer is no, and that critics of the president are unfairly categorized as racists, but as Rev. Sharpton pointed out on Monday's show, the right often critiques Obama as "the other." Read More

Source: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/11/friday-gut-check-should-malala-have-won-the-nobel-prize/
Tags: Naya Rivera   Jonathan Ferrell   Apple.com   Call Of Duty Ghosts   Hyperloop  

Entourage Movie May Never Get Made

By Lex October 15, 2013 @ 1:47 PM

Fuck no. If there’s something that needs to get done right now, it’s a movie based off a mediocre TV show that became downright unwatchable in its final few seasons. But Marky Mark says the Entourage movies is on hold because ‘them guys are being greedy’. To which I think he’s referring to the Entourage actors who want a big payday to make a movie since it’s likely going to be their only source of income for the next forever. I’d ask for bank too. Marky Mark still gets $12 million plus backend to make his two to three crappy movies a year. You know the next and only project Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, and Kevin Dillon have listed on their schedules? Yeah, Entourage the Movie.

Source: http://www.wwtdd.com/2013/10/entourage-movie-may-never-get-made/
Related Topics: christina milian   apple   catherine zeta jones   elvis presley   mila kunis  

10 Things to Know for Wednesday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

1. HOW LAWMAKERS SPENT THE DAY BEFORE THREATENED TREASURY DEFAULT

Hour after hour in Congress is taken up by secret meetings and frenzied maneuvering.

2. FITCH PLACES US CREDIT RATING ON NEGATIVE WATCH

Even with a higher debt limit, the agency says "reduced financing flexibility" could lead to a default.

3. IRAN PRESENTS NEW NUCLEAR PROPOSAL

The plan offers reductions in the number of centrifuges and the amount of uranium that is being enriched, a source tells the AP.

4. OBAMA BESTOWS MEDAL OF HONOR ON AFGHAN VET

William D. Swenson, recognized for bravery in a battle against Taliban insurgents in 2009, now wants to return to active duty.

5. ALLEGED TERRORIST CAPTURED IN LIBYA PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN NYC

The case renews debate about whether it's best to try terror suspects in military or civilian courts.

6. SHERIFF: GIRL'S TORMENTOR ARRESTED AFTER FACEBOOK BOAST

A teen said to be primarily responsible for bullying a classmate who then committed suicide brags about it online. She and a 12-year-old now face charges of stalking.

7. BOOKER'S NJ SENATE CAMPAIGN BUMPY

While still safely ahead in most polls, the Newark mayor has faced sustained criticism ahead of Wednesday's special election.

8. WHY ALL TRACES OF CONN. SCHOOL ARE BEING ERADICATED

The goal during demolition of the site of the Sandy Hook shootings will be to prevent exploitation of any remnants of the building, an official says.

9. TIP SENDS ATF TO WEAPONS AT ARIZONA RANCH

A raid nets dozens of weapons, ammunition and two convicted felons from a notorious family that once aimed to set up a whites-only nation.

10. WHERE A RARE SEA CREATURE WAS DISCOVERED

A woman snorkeling off the Southern California coast finds the carcass of an 18-foot oarfish — a deep-water species that can grow up to 50-feet long.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-wednesday-103500895.html
Category: christina milian   dodgers   castle   rose byrne   Emmy Winners 2013  

Leaders Express 'Cautious Optimism' Over Iran Nuclear Plan

Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif share a light moment Tuesday at the start of two-day talks on Iran's nuclear program.

Fabrice Coffrini/AP

Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif share a light moment Tuesday at the start of two-day talks on Iran's nuclear program.

Fabrice Coffrini/AP

Iran's proposal for easing the standoff over its nuclear program got seemingly positive initial reviews at Tuesday's start of multiparty talks in Geneva.

A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the Iranian delegation had made a PowerPoint presentation outlining the plan at the beginning of the two-day session. The spokesman said the plan had been received with "cautious optimism" but gave no further details of the close-door meeting, describing the proceedings as "confidential."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there had been a "good" first reaction to Tehran's proposals, according to Reuters.

As the BBC reports:

"The discussions bring together Iran officials and representatives of the 'P5+1 group,' made up of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany.

"In a Facebook entry posted at the weekend, [Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad] Zarif said the talks were the 'start of a difficult and relatively time-consuming way forward.' "

The talks are the first since moderate President Hasan Rouhani was elected four months ago. Since then, Rouhani has ratcheted down the bombastic rhetoric of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As The Associated Press writes, the talks are seen as "a key test of Iran's overtures to the West."

Foreign Policy says: "While there is little optimism that this week's talks will resolve the matter of Iranian nuclear weapons development entirely, U.S. officials have hinted that progress made could result in immediate relief from U.S. imposed sanctions."

Update At 1:45 p.m. ET:

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney warned that "despite positive signs" from the Geneva talks, "no one should expect a breakthrough overnight."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/15/234638759/leader-express-cautious-optimism-over-iran-nuclear-plan?ft=1&f=1009
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UFC 166 Free Fight: Nelson vs. Cro Cop

Heavyweights “Big Country” and Cro Cop face off in a clash of styles and personalities at UFC 137. Be sure to check out this video and tune in Saturday as Nelson takes on Daniel Cormer at UFC 166.

Front-Page Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/94928/ufc-166-free-fight-nelson-vs-cro-cop/
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Anthony Hopkins Gushes Over 'Breaking Bad' Star Bryan Cranston in Fan Letter

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Anthony Hopkins and Bryan Cranston

Count Anthony Hopkins among the legions of Breaking Bad fans who couldn’t get enough of the show.

Just over two weeks after the AMC drama aired its series finale, a letter surfaced that Hopkins wrote to star Bryan Cranston, in which he gushes over the actor's performance. Hopkins says he just finished watching a marathon of all five seasons of the show (he refers to a sixth season, but the fifth season was actually split into two).

PHOTOS: What's Next for 'Breaking Bad's' Stars

"A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing," he writes. "I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant! Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen -- ever. I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really. But this work of yours is spectacular -- absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production."

Hopkins also goes on to praise the rest of the cast as well, and asks Cranston to "pass on my admiration to everyone."

"Everyone gave master classes of performance," he writes.

He also praises the Vince Gilligan-created show's overall arc and storytelling.

"From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell," he writes. "It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian [sic] or Greek Tragedy."

The letter first surfaced over the weekend on Breaking Bad co-star Steven Michael Quezada's Facebook page, according to Gawker, but the post has since been deleted, as has a tweet he wrote about the letter. But The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Hopkins is indeed the author and that the letter is authentic.

PHOTOS: 'Breaking Bad's' 10 Most Mind-Blowing Episodes

The Breaking Bad series finale aired Sept. 29, drawing a record 10.3 million viewers.

While many in Hollywood tweeted their enthusiasm for the show and especially the series finale, Oliver Stone and Britney Spears recently expressed their displeasure with the events of the final episode.

Read Hopkins' full letter below.

Dear Mister Cranston.

I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.

I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.

I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!

Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.

I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.

But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department – casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.

From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.

If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone – Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada – everyone – everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless.

Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.

You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.

That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.

Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.

Best regards

Tony Hopkins.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/live_feed/~3/7DXfSvddUkw/story01.htm
Tags: Alice Munro   elizabeth smart   Ronan Farrow   Allison Micheletti   George Duke  

The Surprising Story of 'Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an'

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Author Denise Spellberg's book draws parallels between the beliefs of the founding father and religious tolerance in the United States today.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NprProgramsATC/~3/X_1Q7Lbkly4/the-surprising-story-of-thomas-jeffersons-quran
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Fearless Felix Supersonic Space Jump Still Awesome One Year Later

Today is the anniversary of brave Felix Baumgartner's space jump. His heart was racing at 185 beats per minute when he jumped from an altitude of 127,852 feet, then started to spin at 60 revolutions per minute and kept spinning for 13 seconds after jumping, reaching a maximum vertical speed of Mach 1.25. An incredible feat.

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Scotland's Hogg set to miss November Tests

Edinburgh (AFP) - Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg is likely to miss all of his country's November Tests after undergoing wrist surgery, coach Scott Johnson indicated Friday.

Australian interim coach Johnson believes Hogg will "probably" be ruled out of next month's internationals at home to Japan, South Africa and Australia after the 21-year-old was injured playing for club side Glasgow against Irish province Leinster three weeks ago.

"Are we counting Hoggy out of the Autumn Tests? Yeah, probably," Johnson said. "There is a chance that he might make a game but that is unlikely."

New Zealander Vern Cotter is to take over from Johnson as Scotland coach next year having made his reputation in Europe in charge of French Top 14 side Clermont.

Johnson, however, will stay with the Scottish Rugby Union but in the new position of director of rugby.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scotlands-hogg-set-miss-november-tests-190604013.html
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