“Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece” Premieres on SBS

The first of seven episodes of the show “Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece” was presented yesterday on SBS. The first series of the show, which promotes Greek tourism, was shot in Athens and mainly in the Peloponnese.

The two hosts tour the central meat market of Athens, dine in central restaurants of the city and taste Greek wines and drinks, commenting on the simplicity and the particularity of Greek cuisine and hospitality. They also visit the Acropolis Museum and gaze at the view from Philopappou Hill. After Athens, they travel to the Peloponnese, and stop at the Isthmus of Corinth.  The  hosts dine and go on a cruise, commenting on the history and the archaeological findings of its walls. The episodes of the show are available at: www.sbs.com.au/shows/tasteofGreece.

Greek-Canadian Phil Xenidis Named Lead Guitarist on Bon Jovi’s Tour

He plays the guitar perfectly and when he performs live, steals the show. He is of Greek descent and he will be at the OAKA Stadium in Athens, on the 20th of July.  He will be performing next to rock star Jon Bon Jovi, replacing Richie Sambora.

Phil Xenidis, known as Phil X, was born in May 1966. The Greek-Canadian guitarist is the co-founder of the band Powder. In the last decade, the band was characterized as one of the surprises of the contemporary music scene of Los Angeles. Through Powder he became well-known not only in the USA, but also in Europe. For a long time he replaced Rik Emmett in Triumph.  Until today, he has cooperated with many people from the rock scene such as Rob Zombie, The Drills, Aldo Nova, Frozen Ghost and more.

The temporary exit of Richie Sambora from the Bon Jovi band was official announced on the 29th of April. The top guitarist became a victim of his drug addiciton and he is now at a detoxification centre. Phil Xenidis accepted the invitation and now he is with the legendary Jon Bon Jovi on this year’s tour as his lead guitarist.

His first appearance was at the New Orleans Jazz Fest’s Acura Stage. This year’s tour was very much publicized and ends on July 31st in Lisbon.

5 Greek Companies Rank in 100 “Best Workplaces in Europe” List

Five companies in Greece are on this year’s list of the 100 “Best Workplaces in Europe”, which is drafted annually by the Great Place to Work® Institute.  The list was announced on Thursday evening.
The five awarded companies in Greece are Amgen Pharmaceuticals, 3M, Tasty Foods, Accenture and Medtronic.
The awards were presented during an official ceremony in Paris on Thursday night, ahead of Friday’s international conference themed “Future Workplaces”.
The top 100 list includes 25 multinational companies, 25 large enterprises (more than 500 employees) and 50 small and medium-size companies (50-500 employees).
This year’s Best Workplaces survey was conducted among 1,380 companies throughout Europe for the evaluation of the working environment.
(source: ana-mpa)

Greek Consulate & Tourism Organization Attacked in Berlin

In the early hours of Friday morning, there was an attack against the office of EOT (Greek Tourism Organization) and the Greek Consulate in Berlin. The attack took place at 3:00 in the morning by a group of 10-15 masked people, who caused serious damage. The assailants completely smashed the glass door of EOT’s entrance, which is located on the ground floor of the building, at Wittenbergplatz Square and caused even further damage to the rest of the office’s windows. They also threw black paint on the walls and bottles, which reached the balcony of the third floor, where the Greek Consulate is housed.

According to a witness who called the police, the mob spoke German fluently. They left an unsigned proclamation with anti-capitalist content, where their action is characterized as “a sign of solidarity” to those who recently were confronted with “state terrorism”. Police are conducting an investigation into the incident, to find the people involved.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, in a discussion he had with his Greek counterpart Dimitris Droutsas, expressed regret for acts of vandalism targeting the Greek Consulate in Berlin, as announced on Friday.
The German Foreign Minister said that such actions were condemnable and do not reflect Germany’s feelings toward Greece, adding that all efforts will be made to arrest the culprits and bring them to justice.
German Deputy Foreign Minister Wolf-Ruthart Born has contacted the Greek Ambassador to Berlin on the issue as well.

Jury and Industry Panel of the 5th LA Greek Film Festival

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The 5th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival has announced their five-member jury who will be selecting the Orpheus Award winners out of the twenty films that will be screening in competition this year. The jury awards include Best Film, Best Documentary and Best Short Film and will be awarded on Sunday, June 12 at the closing night gala at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. In addition, the festival has announced the seven panelists who will participate in the Crossing Borders: Foreign Films in Hollywood panel which will take place at the Laemmle Sunset 5 on Saturday, June 11th at 10:30 am.

The jury consists of Alex Ago, Director of Programming and Special Projects at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Robert Koehler, Film Critic, Johnny E. Jensen, ASC (“An American Story”) Aniko Imre, Associate Professor of Critical Studies at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and director Lev L. Spiro (“Everybody Hates Chris”).
This year’s panel, presented in association with ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America) – Crossing Borders: Foreign Films in Hollywood panel will be moderated by Variety Deputy Editor Peter Caranicas. The panelists will include Indie producer/consultant Klara Beverly, marketing maven Scott Edwards (AV Squad), filmmaker and author Heidi Van Lier (“Chi Girl,” The Indie Film Rule Book),Greek distributor/producer Dionyssis Samiotis (Odeon), Lionsgate Executive VP Distribution David Spitz and ICM agent Peter Trinh . This panel will address questions on the future potential of foreign films in the broader international market, including issues such as international representation and the use of alternative distribution and marketing resources.

The 5th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) runs from June 9-12 at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, located at 8000 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. Closing night will take place at the Writers Guild Theater at 135 S. Doheny in Beverly Hills.

JURY
Alessandro Ago is the Director of Programming and Special Projects at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts, where he hosts film screenings and Q&As, film festivals, guest speaker engagements and special events. Ago curates Outside the Box [Office], a screening series dedicated to bringing the best contemporary international, documentary and independent cinema to USC. He recently produced festivals celebrating the work of John Wayne and Roger Corman, as well as world cinema showcases focusing on Japan, Italy, Bollywood and the Middle East.

Anikó Imre is an Associate Professor of Critical Studies at University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts. Her main interests are global media and cultural studies. Her published and forthcoming books include Identity Games: Globalization and the Transformation of Media Cultures in the New Europe; East European Cinemas; Transnational Feminism in Film and Media; The Blackwell Companion to East European Cinemas and Popular Television in Eastern and Southern Europe. She co-edits the Palgrave book series Global Cinemas.

Johnny E. Jensen, ASC, is a director of photography who has worked in the motion picture industry for over forty years. In 1991, he did the cinematography for RAMBLING ROSE, which received Oscar nominations for Laura Dern and Diane Ladd and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best cinematography. He was nominated for Emmy and ASC awards for AN AMERICAN STORY and INTO THE BADLANDS (1991). GRUMPY OLD MEN (1993), LOST IN YONKERS (1993), ROSEWOOD (1997) and THE GAMES OF THEIR LIVES (2005) are among his other works. Jensen has also worked as a director of films for television, such as the award-winning THE DITCHDIGGER’S DAUGHTERS (1997). He presently works in both features and television.

Robert Koehler is a film critic and festival programmer. He served as an instructor and programmer for UCLA Extension’s Sneak Preview program from 2003-2007. In 2003, he developed the innovative film program, “The Films That Got Away,” an ongoing series presenting significant recent work that has previously not screened in Los Angeles. In 2009, Koehler was appointed director of programming at AFI Fest Los Angeles. He is a founding member in the festival consultancy firm, Festworks. Koehler was a theater critic for the LA Weekly and Los Angeles Times during the 1980s and 1990s. He has been a contributor to Variety since 1994. As a published film critic, he has written for numerous publications including Variety, Cahiers du Cinema and Die Tagezeitung. He is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. He has served on festival juries in Cannes, Berlin, Vancouver, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Palm Springs, Bermuda and Miami.

In the last decade, Lev L. Spiro has directed multiple one-hour drama and half-hour comedy pilots and episodes for both network and cable television. Episodic television work includes numerous episodes of the acclaimed series Weeds, Arrested Development, Ugly Betty, Everybody Hates Chris, The O.C., Gilmore Girls, and many more. Original television pilots include Do Over and the drama Summerland for the WB network, and most recently Jane By Design for ABC Family. In 2008, Spiro directed the action/comedy feature MINUTEMEN, which was nominated by the Director’s Guild for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs. The following year he directed the film WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE: THE MOVIE, which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program.

INDUSTRY PANEL
PRESENTED BY ELMA Crossing Borders: Foreign Films in Hollywood
The age of global interconnectedness is shaping the ways films are made, distributed and exhibited in the US and abroad, while the dividing lines between foreign films, independent productions and Hollywood studio films are beginning to blur. For the first time in the history of American cinema, Hollywood studios have set up international offices to facilitate local productions filmed in the local language. Similarly, foreign films may be facing a newly kindled interest in the US. While still marginal players in the US distribution and exhibition domains, foreign films may have a growing effect on both studio and independent domestic filmmaking. This panel addresses questions on the future potential of foreign films in the broader international market.

Peter Caranicas (Moderator) is Deputy Editor of Variety, with responsibility of the paper’s weekly edition as well as its features department, which publishes over 200 special sections annually. He also writes Variety’s Inside Production column, which appears every Tuesday, and Variety’s Inside Production online newsletter. Previously Caranicas was editor of Below the Line, Shoot, Film&Video and other industry publications. He is a frequent guest at industry panels and has freelanced for such outlets as TVNewsCheck, World Screen, and the New York Times Encyclopedia of Television.

Klara Beverly is an independent producer, industry consultant at the European Cultural Fund since 2002, and the owner of Atlantis Entertainment based in the Czech Republic, specializing in releasing European and art house films. Beverly co-produced ROOM IN ROME (2010) by Julio Medem (Spain) and LA VIDA DE LOS PECES by Matias Bize (Chile).

Advertising executive Scott Edwards has over 13 years of experience in the motion picture marketing industry. Currently, he is Senior Producer at AV Squad in Sherman Oaks. Recent work includes trailers for CAPTAIN AMERICA, APOLLO 18, THE KING’S SPEECH, among others, as well as TV campaigns for FAST FIVE, HANNA, SCREAM 4, and THOR. Prior to his work with AV Squad, he served as Vice President of Creative Advertising at New Line Cinema.

Heidi Van Lier has made three independent feature films and is currently editing her fourth. She is the author of The Indie Film Rule Book (available on amazon.com), a strategic guide to truly independent filmmaking. She currently writes for FilmThreat.com and travels the country on jury duty and panels for film festivals. She is part of the programming team for the Slamdance Film Festival where she won the Grand Jury Prize for her first film, CHI GIRL (1999).

Dionisis Samiotis’ filmography as a producer includes over 25 feature films, most of them critically acclaimed and in the top 10 in the Greek box office including LAGFF’s Closing Night presentation BURNING HEADS (2011), A TOUCH OF SPICE (Politiki Kouzina) (2003), BEWARE OF GREEKS (2000) FROM THE EDGE OF THE (1998), BALKANISATEUR (1997). He has also served as associate producer in Costa Gavras’ film EDEN IS WEST (2008) and co-producer in a number of international co-productions.

David Spitz is the Executive Vice President of Theatrical Distribution at Lionsgate Films, the leading independent film entertainment studio. A 20-year industry veteran, Spitz began his career as a film buyer for Mann Theatres. Drawing on his background in exhibition, he now oversees the formulation and implementation of distribution strategy for all Lionsgate features. He was closely involved in the release of such diverse critical and box office hits as THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, FAHRENHEIT 9/11, 3:10 TO YUMA, and the Academy Award-winning CRASH. More recently, he has also supervised the distribution of the SAW and Tyler Perry franchises.

Peter Trinh started his career in the entertainment business working at The Burstein Company, an artist management company, and then moved to TV production at G4 TV, the channel devoted to video games. From there, Trinh was accepted into the agent trainee program at International Creative Management (ICM). Today, Trinh works in ICM’s International and Independent Film division helping to arrange distribution deals for independent films.
Tickets

For more information, including how to purchase Panel tickets, Screening Passes and Elite Passes, please visit http://lagff.org


ABOUT LAGFF
The 5th annual Los Angeles Film Festival showcases new films from Greek filmmakers worldwide to promote and nurture Greek Cinema while bridging the gap between Greek filmmakers and Hollywood. The Festival also offers screenings of film masterworks, seminars on important contemporary film issues, and tributes to significant filmmakers and performers of Greek origin. Orpheus Awards are given to the most outstanding new films in the dramatic, documentary and short film categories. www.lagreekfilmfestival.org

ABOUT ELMA
ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America) is a Santa Monica based nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing European movies. ELMA’s mission is to create new avenues for better cultural understanding between the people of Europe and the USA by
celebrating alternative cinema. www.elma.org

Greek "Exasperated" Gather for a Second Day of Demonstrations

Protesters gathered for a second day outside the country’s Parliament House in central Athens in a demonstration against government austerity measures.
A crowd of people began to assemble in front of Parliament at around 6:00 pm in the evening as groups of young people, families, elderly people, school classes with teachers and cyclists arrived to participate in the mass protest event that demonstrates the indignation against the government’s economic policy felt by ordinary citizens, those who do not want to come under the flag of a party or of trade unions.
People of the facebook, however, are very optimistic since on Thursday, as they say, greater participation is expected. Even the bad weather does not seem to daunt the determined. All, in any case, have arrived equipped with umbrellas.

Juncker: IMF Needs 12-Month Greek Financing Guarantee

The next tranche of financial support for Greece depends on the outcome of a report by the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission and Greece΄s compliance with IMF rules on assistance packages, Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday.
“I΄m not the spokesman of the IMF, but the rules say they can only disburse if there is a financing guarantee for the 12-month period,” Juncker told reporters.
“I don΄t think that the troika will come to the conclusion that this is given. If the Europeans have to realize that the disbursement of the IMF before June 29 can΄t operatively happen, the expectation of the IMF is then that the Europeans will take the place of the IMF,” he added.
He said some countries, including Germany and Finland, would likely not accept this. “Everything depends on the troika report which is due next week,” he added.
(source: Dow Jones)

Cyprus Problem: Australia will Continue to Provide Support for Solution

South Australia`s Premier Mike Rann has said he will continue to provide strong and practical support in the pursuit of a reunited, federal Cyprus, with full restoration of human rights of all refugees, despite criticism from Turkey and the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime in occupied Cyprus.
Rann was speaking to Greeks and Cypriots of Australia in Adelaide, where he and Cyprus President Demetris Christofias laid the foundation stone for the new hall of the building of the Cypriot Community of South Australia.

According to a press release, issued here today, President Christofias, on an official visit to Australia, expressed the gratitude of the people of Cyprus for Australia`s stance on Cyprus.
South Australia`s Premier praised President Christofias’ commitment to a settlement, saying that it has resulted in the engagement of the international community.
Rann added that the President’s ability to engage the former leader of the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime in the negotiations has yielded good results, expressing hope for an agreement. He said, however, that the change in leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community has blocked a number of chapters, on which substantial progress had been achieved.
The Australian official said that he is aware of President Christofias’ vision for the future of Cyprus as a country of peaceful co-existence, common prosperity and creativity of all Cypriots, adding that he applauds his commitment and support his vision.

Rann noted that his willingness to speak out on the Cyprus issue nationally and internationally has resulted in criticism from Turkey and the illegal regime in occupied Cyprus.
He added however that he considers these attacks an honor for him and that he will continue to provide strong and practical support in the pursuit of a reunited, federal Cyprus, with full restoration of human rights of all refugees. He also said that he has never spoken against the Turkish Cypriots or the Turkish people.
President Christofias stressed that his goal is to reunite Cyprus and end the unacceptable occupation that violates international law, the principles of the UN Charter and every sense of justice.

President Christofias expressed the gratitude of the people of Cyprus for the Australian stance in favor of their struggle for freedom.
“Our Turkish Cypriot compatriots are not our enemies, they are our brothers and I’ve been blamed for saying that. They are Cypriots like us and that is why they are protesting today against the presence of thousands of settlers, a Turkish effort to change the demographic composition of the Cypriot population”, said Christofias.
He added that the wall of Nicosia will fall sooner or later.
(source: cna)

Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America Convenes in Chicago

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The second meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America convened yesterday –exactly one year and one day after the first one in New York– in Chicago’ s Hilton O’Hare Airport Hotel under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.
The first-day session opened with prayers with 44 bishops present. Most Canonical Orthodox Bishops from Canada did not attend, as they are seeking to establish a separate assembly. At the beginning of the meeting a letter was read from Patriarch Irinej of Serbia conveying that the Serbian members of the Assembly could not be present at this meeting because of the needs of the Serbian Church.

The agenda and the minutes of the first meeting were approved. Archbishop Demetrios delivered his chairman’s opening address, and invited the vice-chairmen Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and Archbishop Justinian, the Representative of the Moscow Patriarchtate to address the Assembly.

Archbishop Demetrios conveyed the greetings of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and said that His All Holiness “as the First Throne of Holy Orthodoxy, is much desirous of encouraging and enhancing the unity of the Church, especially through the Pre-Conciliar Conferences that have come to be known as the ‘Chambésy Process’. ”

Archbishop Demetrios underlined the importance of this second meeting of the Assembly: “It is not without significance that we have traveled many miles to be with one another, in a spirit of fraternity, peace, fellowship and above all Christian love. As Chairman of this Assembly I am grateful for your prayerful and irenic presence, and I am hopeful that we will be able to move our nascent body forward with positive steps that will lead to tangible results for all the Orthodox.”

The Secretary of the Assembly, Bishop Basil of the Antiochian Archdiocese presented the Secretariat report. Another report and discussion followed on the agencies and endorsed organization of SCOBA (Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in the Americas). These agencies include the following: Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting (EOCS) – International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) – Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC) – Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) – Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) – Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) – Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM); and the endorsed organizations are: Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion (OCAMPR) – Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration – Orthodox Peace Fellowship (North America) – Orthodox Theological Society of America – Project Mexico – St. Catherine’s Vision, Inc. and Zoe for Life.

Speaking on this subject Archbishop Demetrios said “as the successor body to SCOBA, the Agencies and Endorsed Organizations are in need of direction from the Assembly, as to how and to what degree the relationship between these pan-Orthodox institutions and our Assembly will unfold. ” He also spoke of the great potential that lies ahead for Orthodoxy in America and around the world.

The Assembly continues its work today, May 26, with reports from all thirteen committees: Canonical Affairs, Canonical Regional Planning, Church & Society, Clergy Affairs, Ecumenical Relations, Financial Affairs, Legal Affairs, Liturgy, Military Chaplaincy, Monastic Communities, Pastoral Practice, Theological Education and Youth.

President to Convene Council of Party Leaders

 Political party leaders including both the finance and foreign ministers will convene Friday, after noon, in an extraordinary meeting called the president of the republic. The gathering of the Greek political party hopes to reach consensus on austerity measures needed to resolve the economy crisis.
According to sources, the President took the initiative for a meeting of the Council after agreement with prime minister George Papandreou, while contacts were underway Thursday with the leaders of the country’s opposition parties in order to finalize the time of the meeting, after which a formal announcement will be issued.
 According to the same sources, if no consensus is reached, the government will consider the possibility of a referendum or snap elections.