Daily Excelsior... World

Pavarotti to retire after 40-city tour

MODENA, ITALY, Dec 1: Luciano Pavarotti, whose effortless tenor voice and powerful stage presence dominated opera for decades, plans to bow out like a superstar with a 40-city tour that will end with his retirement.

In an interview , the singer who started in a Church choir at the age of five and became known as "the king of the high c’s," said he will bring down the curtain on a 43-year career with an international tour taking him from the Balkans to Buenos Aires via London, Paris and New York.

"The tour is long but I never perform like a rock star night after night. I shall do a maximum of two or three concerts a month," he said of his global finale that could take him well past his 70th birthday next October.

"It is exactly 43 years I have been going around here and there. Sometimes I don’t know which bed I am waking up in," he said.

But now the ink is dry on the contract he signed with British producer Harvey Goldsmith.

When pressed, Pavarotti cannot put a date on when the tour will end or where. "I don’t know. When they are finished, I am finished."

Pavarotti, sitting in the dining room of his surprisingly modest apartment in the heart of his hometown in northern Italy, was in philosophical and expansive form. Living for today is his motto.

"At school I read the Latin poet Horatio and learnt Carpe Diem — seize the day," he said. "Yesterday I held auditions for young singers. A few days before I sung in Mexico. Tomorrow I begin rehearsals for the opera I am directing in Italy but today is the day that is important."

With over 100 million albums sold, Pavarotti is the most successful classical artist in the history of the recording industry and popularised opera in the three tenors concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

But he said: "I would very much like to be remembered as a very serious opera singer."

Pavarotti left his wife of 37 years to marry his former assistant who is 30 years his junior. Their apartment is cluttered with the toys of their one-year-old daughter alice.

Pavarotti freely admits to being putty in the child’s hands: "She has possessed me. I am her subject, a slave."

Reflecting on his career, he did admit to one regret — never singing with Maria Callas.

He singled out Germany’s Herbert von Karajan as the greatest conductor and lavished praise on Australian Diva Joan Sutherland for teaching him how to breathe as a singer.

London’s royal opera house ranked as the most important for launching his career in the 1960s while New York’s metropolitan opera house was simply referred to as "my home."

It was at the met in 1972 that he gave one of his most famous performances — that of Tonio in "daughter of the regiment " in which he hit nine high c’s in a row.

Pavarotti hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this year when his former agent Herbert Breslin wrote an Acerbic biography —"The King And I" — in which he portrayed him as a slothful glutton with a string of mistresses.

So did Pavarotti feel betrayed and hurt?

"They told me that he wrote a book. I don’t know why he wrote a book. You will have to ask him."

To critics who say his voice has deteriorated, Pavarotti replies: "I feel the voice is fresh like before, with something more, something less."

Pavarotti has always been acutely sensitive about his ballooning weight, often a no-go area in interviews. This time he raised the issue himself.

"I am what I am," he said. "I don’t think I have much to regret except when I watch myself in the mirror. Then I say to myself — why do you eat so much? this is the only regret I have."

"It is no secret that I love food. It is a passion but I was expanding too much before. Now, thanks to my wife nicoletta, I am a little bit more under control."

When it comes to that last aria on that last night of the our, he is undecided.

"If you end like you begin, then I would say La Boheme. It is my first love. But there is nessun dorma which is almost a trademark. I was very lucky in my life. I always chose masterpieces." (AGENCIES)

Nuclear medicine can trigger security alarms: Study

CHICAGO, Dec 1: Patients treated with radioactive material face an increased risk of triggering security alarms because more guards are being equipped with sensitive radiation detectors, a report has said.

It said nuclear medicine can persist in the body for up to three months and urged patients to carry documents letting guards know the source of the radiation when they are stopped at border crossings and other points of entry.

"The nuclear medicine community has been aware that patients set off detectors, but now we expect it to become a more common occurrence with the increasing number of extremely sensitive portable homeland security radiation detectors deployed among security personnel," said Lionel Zuckier, a doctor and radiology professor at the New Jersey Medical School yesterday.

"Our study helps estimate the amount of time following a procedure that these detectors can still be triggered," he added.

His report, released in chicago at the annual meeting of the radiological society of North America, estimated that nuclear material used as tracers in some scans to detect cancer is gone in less than 24 hours.

But material used for bone and thyroid scans can persist for three days while Thallium used in cardiac exams can stick around for up to 30 days, he said. Iodine used as therapy for thyroid problems can be traced up to 95 days later.

The society of nuclear medicine and the US nuclear regulatory commission recommend that hospitals develop an official letter or card indicating what type of nuclear medicine procedure a patient received and whom to call at the hospital for verification, Zuckier said.

"Physicians need to make their patients aware of the need to carry proper documentation following a nuclear medicine procedure," he said.

In 2002 there were 18.4 million nuclear medicine procedures performed in the United States, the report said.

Meanwhile, it said, the US Department of Homeland Security has estimated that state, local and federal officials bought 10,000 portable radiation detectors. (AGENCIES)

Asthma in UK children quadrupled since 70s: Study

LONDON, Dec 1: Asthma rates among UK children have quadrupled since the 1970s and more than doubled in the past decade, according to a study published today.

More than 2,700 children have been involved in a 30-year research project, which has identified a major increase in asthma levels between 1973 and 2003.

Back in 1973, a project survey showed that 5.5 percent of children had been diagnosed with asthma. By 1988, that number had more than doubled, with 12% suffering from the condition.

The latest in the series of surveys, carried out in 2003, showed 27.3 percent with asthma.

The study was released at the British Thoracic Society’s (BTS) winter meeting in London.

"Just when we thought we may have turned a corner, our research shows that asthma prevalence has rocketed over the past 30 years," said Dr Michael Burr of the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, who led the research.

"We all need to have a better understanding of the condition and measures to combat it."

Professor Andrew Peacock of the BTS noted the UK has among the highest rates of asthma in Europe.

"We must tackle asthma on a number of fronts, including vital research into possible genetic causes and urge appropriate use of preventative treatments, as this study shows that their use can be beneficial", he added in a statement. (AGENCIES)

Canadian author Pierre Berton dead at 84

TORONTO, Dec 1: Pierre Berton, whose populist tales of Canadian history made him one of the country’s best known writers and media personalities, has died at age of 84.

The prize-winning author died in a Toronto hospital last afternoon, a spokeswoman said. The cause of death was not disclosed, but CBC television reported he died of heart failure.

Berton was familiar to millions of Canadians through his trademark bow tie, fierce nationalism and frequent television appearance. His books brought to life the country’s most exciting historical moments, ranging from the Klondike gold rush to the taking of Vimy Ridge in World War I.

Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Berton began his career as a newspaper and magazine journalist. He became the city editor of a Vancouver newspaper at the age of 21, before moving to Toronto in 1947. He edited the national newsmagazine Maclean’s and later joined the Toronto star as a columnist.

Berton also appeared on a number of CBC television programs, including "Close-Up", "The Pierre Berton Show", and the long-running "front page challenge".

But he entered a new phase of popularity when he began writing books about one of his favorite topics, Canadian history. The strong narratives and colorful personalities in his books awoke Canadians to a rich past many were unaware of.

The prolific author’s 50 books include "Klondike", about the famous gold rush, "The National Dream" and "The Last Spike", on building the country’s railways, and "Vimy", which covered one of the Canadian military’s most heroic battles.

His works won him the country’s top literary honor, the Governor General’s Award, several times.

Berton was also well know for his sense of humor. He appeared on a CBC comedy program this fall, demonstrating how roll a Marijuana joint. He recommended using the pages of his own books. (AGENCIES)

Tom Hanks to star in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ movie

LOS ANGELES, Dec 1: Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks has been cast to star in an upcoming movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s best-selling mystery "The Da Vinci Code," film studio Columbia pictures has said.

Hanks will play the role of Robert Langdon, the Harvard professor who undertakes a modern-day quest for the holy grail in a thriller steeped in purported secrets about the early Christian Church.

The film will be directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Akiva Goldman and produced by Howard’s business partner, Brian Grazer, the same team behind the 2001 Oscar-winning film "A Beautiful Mind."

The studio, a unit of Japanese electronics firm Sony corp., said the film is slated for release on May 19, 2006. Sony pictures entertainment motion picture group chairman Amy Pascal called it "The Cornerstone" of the studio’s movie slate for that year.

"The potential that exists through this collaboration of material and talent is extraordinary," Pascal said. She added that "job one is to be as faithful as possible to the book and respectful of the fans who love it worldwide."

The book has been on nationwide bestseller lists almost nonstop since it was first published by doubleday in 2003, including 87 weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. The studio said more than 20 million copies of the novel are in print worldwide.

According to trade publications, the studio acquired rights to brown’s book last year in a reported seven-figure-deal brokered by then-Columbia executive John Calley before he stepped down as chairman and CEO of Sony pictures entertainment. Calley remains attached to the project as producer with Grazer.

Hanks, currently featured in the animated holiday feature "The Polar Express," previously teamed up with Howard and Grazer in the space drama "Apollo 13" and his breakthrough comedy film "Splash."

The 48-year-old star won back-to-back academy awards as best actor for his dramatic turns in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump." he also earned Oscar nominations for his roles in "Big," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Cast Away." (AGENCIES)

New band aid single off to flying start in UK

LONDON, Dec 1: More than 72,000 copies of the new band aid single were sold on its first day of release, figures showed.

That made the record the fastest-selling single of the year so far, shifting more copies on Monday than the rest of the UK top 30 combined, a spokesman for HMV yesterday said.

Dido, Robbie Williams and Chris Martin are among the stars on the new single, which is raising money to fight hunger in Africa.

The sales figures were less than initial optimistic projections of 100,000 copies, but still put the charity single on target for 250,000 sales for the week — and a guaranteed no.1 slot in the UK singles chart on Sunday, HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said.

"It’s difficult to predict with any certainty, but band aid 20 should generate at least a million sales over the coming weeks and enjoy an extended run at the top of the charts, including during the all-important Christmas week, " Castaldo said.

The year’s current best seller is Eamon’s (I don’t want you back)’’, which has sold 552,000 copies since its release on April 12th. The track sold 153,000 units in its first week.

Bob Geldof and Ultravox singer Midge ure created band aid, a supergroup of 40 artists, in 1984 and with the hit single raised over 10 million pounds for famine relief in Ethiopia. (AGENCIES)