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If you played a word-association game with "Alexander the Great," you'd probably come up with "conqueror," "king," "warrior," "legend," "despot," "wastrel" or "killer." Unfortunately, Oliver Stone has chosen to build his epic of the Macedonian military genius around a word highly unlikely to make the list: "crybaby." In Stone's view, this is a highly neurotic young man whose emotions, far from being repressed or disciplined as one would expect of a great soldier of the 4th century B.C., are worn on his sleeve, except, of course, that he doesn't have sleeves, the shirt still being two millennia down the road....

Things are not looking so good for the big, new epic film "Alexander." The flick opens tomorrow to uniformly awful reviews and a lot of controversy, despite Colin Farrell weighing in as the leading man. At the center of the storm: upset Greeks who insist the real Alexander was not bisexual. In Oliver Stone's movie, the warrior seems more besotted by his best buddy, played by Jared Leto, than his female love interest Rosario Dawson. Warner Brothers, still smarting from disappointing results on "The Polar Express," kept press out of the "Alexander" premiere at Lincoln Center last night. Or rather:...

LOS ANGELES -- Although he lived 2,300 years ago, Alexander the Great may have something to say about current American politics. If Bush manages to transform Iraq and Afghanistan into secure...... Stone says the U.S. president may earn the legacy of the ancient hero of "Alexander." "It's a grand scheme," Stone said. "If he pulled it off ... in 20 years, maybe he would be considered `Bush the Great.'"

The makers of Colin Farell's upcoming epic 'Alexander' are facing the threat of lawsuit for claiming warrior Alexander the Great was bisexual.A group of furious Greek lawyers insist the legendary conqueror was heterosexual, and now they are looking into suing film studio Warner Brothers and director Oliver Stone for claims to the contrary.Yannis Varnakos, the spokesman for the 25 lawyers, says, 'The production company should make it clear that this film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander.'The group of attorneys say they have gathered enough evidence so far to know that there are...

Oliver Stone and the studio releasing his $150 million historical epic "Alexander" should beware of Greeks bearing writs — over the film's depiction of Alexander the Great as Alexander the Fabulous. The controversial director and Warner Bros. were yesterday threatened with a lawsuit by a group of Greek lawyers who are incensed that the new movie "Alexander" portrays the hero as bisexual. The group of 25 Athens-based lawyers said they sent a letter to Warner Bros. demanding that it label "Alexander" ... as a work of fiction.... "We are not saying that were are against gays, but we are saying...

ATHENS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A group of Greek lawyers are threatening to sue Warner Bros film studios and Oliver Stone, director of the widely anticipated film "Alexander," for suggesting Alexander the Great was bisexual. The lawyers have already sent an extrajudicial note to the studio and director demanding they include a reference in the title credits saying his movie is a fictional tale and not based on official documents of the life of the Macedonian ruler. "We are not saying that we are against gays but we are saying that the production company should make it clear to the...

One of my long-time favorites -   Even if you cannot contribute, *DO* sign up for this GREAT weekly newsletter. It's articulate, a quick read and highly rated.   Take a look.   See what you think.   It's Right...and it's FREE! ...Sign up, and/or View the current edition, at: http://www.federalist.com WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: - The Federalist Patriot is leading a surprisingly well-organized charge into the world of Internet politics." --Harvard Political Review - The Federalist Patriot not only does the best job of putting important news, policy and opinion in proper context, but also of cutting down to...

"Upper Macedonia" Suggested for State Name Politics: 11 November 2004, Thursday. The leader of Macedonia's Democratic Alternative Party Vassil Tupurkovski suggested the name Upper Macedonia to replace Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He was quoted saying by MPA news agency that his country should adopt a name that would contribute to the good cooperation between Greece and Macedonia. Macedonia needs a partner in the face of Greece, Tupurkovski stated, on the small Balkan state's path toward the European Union. He ruled out the direct role of the US in the conflict over Macedonia's official name, after Bush's administration officially recognised...

Maybe they should call it 'Alexander the Grating.'The Oliver Stone epic starring Colin Farell doesn't even open until November 24, but Stone quietly screened it to some audiences this week--and the early reaction seems to be a big thumbs down. 'The movie starts out being shot very traditionally but then 2 hours into the film Stone decides to start shooting the film like 'Natural Born Killers' with infa red camera shots and scenes washed in red, groused a reviewer on IMDB.com. 'Very strange and out of place.'A few viewers did find something to like about the film, 'The Rosario Dawson...

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Tuesday gave Republican supporters three reasons they need to turn out at the polls: Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Democratic Sen. Zell Miller, and troops in the Middle East. "If Kerry is elected president, it's not far-fetched to assume he'll nominate Hillary Clinton to the Supreme Court," Alexander told about 200 people at Fountain City Park. "We don't need someone with that philosophy and point of view." Republicans also need "good, mainstream Democrats" like Georgia's Miller, who support President Bush, the Tennessee senator said. American troops are sacrificing their lives so that people in Iraq...

Alexander defends late party switch in 5th District debate By ADAM NOSSITER Associated Press writer MONROE -- Congressman Rodney Alexander defended a last-minute party switch that infuriated Democrats Sunday night, in the sole televised debate of an otherwise quiet race to represent a broad swath of central and north Louisiana. Alexander, boosted by polls showing him way out in front and likely to win the 5th Congressional District race without a runoff, spoke calmly about an issue that initially threw his race into an uproar, and had Democrats from Louisiana to Washington denouncing him in harsh terms. He brushed off...

A review of: Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past by Paul Cartledge (341 pp., Macmillan. £18.99) Alexander: Destiny and Myth by Claude Mossé (244 pp., Edinburgh University Press. £49.99.) Alexander the Conqueror: The Epic Story of the Warrior King by Laura Foreman (213 pp., Da Capo. £19.99.) The Death of Alexander the Great: What – or – Who Really Killed the Young Conqueror of the Known World? by Paul Doherty (236 pp., Constable. £17.99.) The ancient world is on a Hollywood roll. First Gladiator, then Troy, and now an Alexander the Great directed by Oliver Stone, starring...

Is “Alexander” too gay? The opening date of the Oliver Stone epic about the Macedonian conqueror has been pushed back from Nov. 5 to Nov. 24, and an insider says one reason for the delay is that execs at the studio want to cut some of the film’s male-on-male love scenes. “Alexander was almost certainly bisexual, and [director] Oliver Stone wanted to portray that," says the source. "So there are scenes between Colin [Farrell, who plays Alexander] and women, but there’s also some passionate scenes between Colin and Francisco Bosch.” ///snip “Some of the suits at Warner Bros. think that...

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Candidates' appeal blocks new signups 1st Circuit to take up 5th District quarrel By CHRIS FRINK cfrink@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau Two candidates in the turbulent congressional 5th District race stopped an attempt to open the race to new candidates Tuesday. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge set a hearing on the appeal for 9:30 a.m. Monday. The election is Nov. 2. A state district judge had re-opened the qualifying period to allow incumbent U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander to rejoin the race. State Democrats sued Alexander in 18th Judicial District Court in Plaquemine after the former Democrat switched...

Sign-up Reopened for House Race in Louisiana NewsMax.com Wires Monday, Aug. 23, 2004 PLAQUEMINE, La. – A state judge ruled Monday that the sign-up period should be reopened for the Nov. 2 election in Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, where incumbent Rep. Rodney Alexander infuriated Democrats by switching to the Republican Party minutes before the qualifying deadline. District Judge Allen Edwards did not set a date for the new sign-up period. He said the new dates should be set after appeals, which are likely, have been exhausted. On Aug. 4, at the start of qualifying for the 5th District race, Alexander...

GOP backs state's newest Republican His rival gets left out in the cold Wednesday, August 11, 2004 By Ed Anderson Capital bureau BATON ROUGE -- The state and national GOP are backing U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander of Quitman, a newly minted Republican, rather than throwing their support behind longtime party member John "Jock" Scott, a former state House member who is running for Alexander's 5th District seat, party brass said Tuesday. "We are behind Congressman Alexander," said Jon Bargas, executive director of the state Republican Party. Bargas said state party officials are discussing ways to approach Scott about bowing out...

NEW ORLEANS - In 48 hours, Rep. Rodney Alexander (news, bio, voting record) went from Democrat to Republican, friend to foe — or foe to friend, depending on your political persuasion. Democrats reacted to the news by calling the first-term congressman a turncoat and a coward. They must now gain another seat, 12 in all, to win back the House this fall. The count today: Democrats 205, Republicans 229. A new ally, on the other hand, rang him up Friday to say congratulations. President Bush (news - web sites), according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan, welcomed Alexander to the...

At last! Some good news today! Congressman Rodney Alexander has switched parties!

The History Channel is going to air a new historical series entitled DECISIVE BATTLES including some classic wars between ancient Persian armies and Roman and Greek ones. The History Channel goes on location to the actual battlefields and integrates cutting-edge videogame technology to bring history and imagination together in the new series DECISIVE BATTLES. The half-hour series DECISIVE BATTLES premieres Friday, July 23 at 9-9:30pm ET/PT. The series is hosted by Matthew Settle (Band of Brothers) on location at the ancient battlefields and features expert commentary from the world©s foremost historians. DECISIVE BATTLES is unlike any series The History Channel...