Author: Hambardsumian Paul

MICHAEL CHIKLIS: THE TOUGHEST GUY ON TV
Debra Craine

The Times
February 14, 2009

Actors are in the business of transforming themselves, but Michael
Chiklis is extraordinary even by Hollywood standards. Seven years ago
he was best known as the roly-poly police commissioner Tony Scali in
five seasons of The Commish, an American TV comedy-drama that played
up his nice guy image. And 20 years ago he got a taste of fame playing
the laugh-a-minute comic John Belushi on the big screen in Wired. But
nowadays, if you’ve been watching The Shield for the past six years,
you wouldn’t want to sit next to him on a bus.

That’s because Chiklis plays Vic Mackey, The Shield’s ferocious bad-ass
cop, to perfection. This was a role he wanted more than any other.

He shaved his head, shed a load of pounds and turned himself into
a pumped-up rottweiler. And you can see why. The Shield is arguably
the best cop show ever, and Mackey the most fascinating and morally
complex law enforcement officer American TV has produced. He may
be out to clean up the mean streets of Los Angeles, but he’s also
out for what he can get. And as we have already seen, he will stop
at nothing – including murder – to protect his life, his family,
his friends and his job.

"For any actor, Vic Mackey is a cherry of a role; he’s so
multidimensional," Chiklis say s. "When do you get to play that
type of antihero? He is so many different things. He makes you want
to cheer for him and then just makes you disgusted at yourself for
feeling that way."

Now the seventh and final season (13 episodes in all) is coming to
British TV and even if you haven’t been following the finer points of
Shawn Ryan’s epic drama it’s not too late to join the Chiklis fan club.

So what can we expect? "Hang on for dear life," he says.

"It’s a ride. It’s going to be tough. The last seven shows are really
stunning. I don’t mean to sound self-congratulatory because I’m not
talking about myself. [Creator] Shawn Ryan knocks it out of the park
for this final season. The writing, the performances by Walt Goggins,
CCH Pounder and Jay Karnes, the way the whole thing is put together –
in my estimation it rivals anything on television."

In America The Shield is already over and the hardest thing about
talking to Chiklis was resisting the temptation to ask him how
it ends. For those who don’t know, the series started with Mackey
killing a fellow cop and it’s been downhill ever since. He’s stolen
money from the Armenian mob, aided corrupt politicians, started gang
wars and lied at every turn.

Surely some kind of retribution is called for?

"You can’t change the spots on a20leopard," Chiklis says.

"Although Vic is not a stupid man, he has definitely learnt from his
mistakes. But he is so inexorably caught up in his own web of deceit
that it’s impossible for him to escape the consequences."

The Emmy Award-winning actor is still recovering from seven years
of playing a character who is "so intense it hurts". He did have a
few breaks along the way, including starring as Ben Grimm, aka "The
Thing", in the Fantastic Four films, and playing the US Secretary
of Defence in last year’s disappointing thriller Eagle Eye. But the
question everyone still wants answered is what Chiklis really thinks
of the monstrous character he created.

"I’ve always said I won’t comment on my personal feelings about Vic,"
he replies. "The cornerstone of The Shield’s success has been its
ambiguous nature. It doesn’t preach right or wrong. I’ll let you
wrestle with your own feelings about Vic. Just trust me, I’m not Vic
Mackey in real life; I’m so not angry."

Chiklis, now 45, is about to undergo yet another radical
transformation, determined to leave the maniacal Mackey imprint
behind. He’s just finished filming John Stalberg’s new "stoner"
comedy High School: "I play the idiot dean of this school. It’s a
bit like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It’s20a blast, it’s so much fun
just to be so ridiculous."

He’s also involved in a more serious project, executive producing
(but not starring in) a new TV series inspired by Wall Street’s Bernard
Madoff scandal. Chiklis is drawing on his own experience for the show,
called House of Cards: last year he and his wife Michelle became
victims of a Ponzi scheme. "It’s the crime that no one talks about,"
he says, "and it’s time somebody did."

What are your favourite . . . Screen cops?

Popeye Doyle (played by Gene Hackman in the two French Connection
films, 1971 and 1975) He was very influential on Vic Mackey.

Dirty Harry (played by Clint Eastwood in the 1971 film) Talk about
shooting from the hip.

Andy Sipowicz (star of NYPD Blue, played by Dennis Franz)

Favourite musicians

Queen and Freddie Mercury Peter Gabriel and Genesis Sting and the
Police Pink Floyd I saw The Wall tour. It was beautiful, fantastic.

Elvis Costello He’s another great British musician.

Angriest white guys

Travis Bickle, from Taxi Driver (played by Robert De Niro in the
1976 film) Well, he’s the first one that comes to mind immediately,
isn’t he?"

Bruce Willis, Officer John McClane in the four Die Hard movies Harvey
Keitel in Bad Lieutenant, the 1992 film about a corrupt New York City
cop, who bears more than a passing mo ral resemblance to Vic Mackey

Favourite reads

Again I’m an Anglophile, I love all things British. Do you know Edward
Rutherford’s phenomenal historical novels Sarum, London and The Forest?

They are really brilliant, three of my favourite books."

WHO WILL REPRESENT ARMENIA AT EUROVISION 2009?
Marianna Gyurjyan

"Radiolur"
12.02.2009 18:06

Participants of the Armenian election of the Eurovision 2009 will
take place at the Sport and Concert Complex on February 14. Twenty-one
singers will compete for the right to represent Armenia at Eurovision
Song Contest 2009.

February 7 was the deadline for submitting applications. Members of the
Armenian delegation assure that the competition is going to be fair.

Armenia’s entrant at Eurovision 2009 in Moscow will be elected by
SMS voting and the jury.

Armenia will participate in the first semi-final on May 12. The final
will take place on May 16 at the Olympic Hall of Moscow. The winner
of the Eurovision Song Contest will be selected by the TV viewers
and the professional jury.

SCENARIOS CIRCULATE OVER AZERBAIJANI AIR FORCE HEAD’S ASSASSINATION

Hurriyet
Feb 11 2009
Turkey

Several scenarios circulated Wednesday over who was behind the murder
of the commander of the ex-Soviet Azerbaijan air force, Rail Rzayev,
in the capital Baku.

Gunned down outside his home, Rzayev, 63, was the highest ranking
military official to be killed in the oil-rich republic wedged between
Russia and Iran.

According to comments made by Akil Alesker, editor-in-chief of
Azerbaijan’s Yenicag newspaper, to hurriyet.com.tr, intense speculation
surrounds three possibilities.

Alesker claims that it is normal for people to suspect that
the Armenian secret service is likely to be behind the murder,
particularly as the incident came at a time when efforts to solve
the frozen Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were being revived.

"The murder of the general will affect the ongoing peace talks
regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to some extent, although
there is still no official statement yet regarding who is behind the
incident," he added.

Alesker played down claims that Rzayev, who is said to have partners
in the food sector, was killed over an argument involving a venture
that went out of business due to the economic crisis.

Russian media reports claim that Russian arms mafia may have played
a role in the shooting, Alesker also said. Rzayev, who opposed to
Azerbaijan’s purchase of MIG military planes from Russia, persuaded
President Ilham Aliyev to cancel the tender, he added.

UNPREDICTABLE LATVIANS

A1+
[12:53 pm] 11 February, 2009

An Armenia-Latvia football match is due in Cyprus at 5:00 (Yerevan
time) February 11. This is the first time the teams meet after the
fall of the USSR. Let’s get acquainted with the prior achievements
and sports background of Armenia’s contender.

BACKGROUND

After the collapse of the USSR Latvia has been among unique Soviet
counties reaching the Europe-2004 finals after beating Turkey’s team
in the play-off. (Turkey was a bronze medal holder then). In the
finals Latvia appeared in the group of "death" and was to compete
with Germany, Holland and Czechia. The team gained one point and was
the last on the list.

Today Latvia is involved in the second group of the 2010 World Cup. The
team has gained four points during the last four matches.

CHIEF COACH

The Latvian team is trained by Alexandre Starkov, a former skillful
football. At the head of Starkov Riga’s Skonto has been Latvia’s
champion for many years. Starkov has been heading the Latvian team
since 2001. After the success in Euro-2004 finals Starkov got an
invitation from Moscow’s Spartak and moved to Russia. In 2006 he
returned to Skonto.

GORAN LENNMARKER POSITIVELY ESTIMATES NAGORNO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS

Noyan Tapan

Feb 10, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues regarding the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement process, Armenian-Turkish political dialogue,
military-political developments in the South Caucasian region,
as well as EU Eastern Partnership were discussed at the February 10
meeting of RA President Serzh Sargsyan and OSCE PA President’s Special
Representative for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Goran Lennmarker.

S. Sargsyan attached importance to OSCE’s invaluable role in the
issue of retaining the peace lasting for nearly 15 years and OSCE
Minsk Group’s negotiations efforts aimed at problem settlement, as
well as cooperation with OSCE in the direction of deepening democratic
processes in Armenia.

The interlocutors emphasized that the 2008 August events once more
confirm the inadmissibility of a military way of solving current
conflicts considering such a mentality "dangerous and having no
prospects." S. Sargsyan once more stressed that Armenia expects
proper international structures’ response on unprecedented rise of
some regional countries’ military potential with violation of the
international legal-contractual sphere and the bellicose statements
voiced by them.

G. Lennmarker positively assessed the Nagorno Karabakh settlement
negotiations process and Armenian authorities’ efforts to normalize
the Armenian-Turkish relations. The interlocutors recorded that the
best way to ensure cooperation and peace in the region is dialogue
and cooperation.

According to the report of the RA President’s Press Office, during the
meeting the interlocutors also touched upon the Eastern Partnership
initiative. S. Sargsyan attached importance to Armenia’s involvement
in that initiative.

ARMENIAN YOUNG BOXERS TO GET PREPARED

Panorama.am
19:18 09/02/2009

World junior box championship will take place in the sport-concert
complex of Yerevan in 23-30 May, 2009. Armenian box team has conducted
trainings in Tsaghkadzor in January chaired by the trainer of the
team Fedya Aleksanyan.

Note that on 16-18 February boxing competitions with the participation
of boxing teams from Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia is a
perfect opportunity for our sportsmen to get well trained. After
two junior competitions to be held in Yerevan the national team will
be defined.

MRS. AZNIV WILL NOT GO ANYWHERE

A1+
[01:21 pm] 10 February, 2009

72-year old pensioner Azniv’s neighbors visit her room often and
always talk about the past. They all currently reside in the former
student hostel hostel in Charbakh. The guard of the hostel Mrs. Gayane
accompanied us to the 4th floor showing us the rooms of pensioners
from Baku.

Mrs. Azniv lives in the best equipped room on the floor. She invited
us and showed the photos of her two sons and two grandchildren who
are in Russia. Then she told us that her husband died in 2004 and his
co-workers helped her remodel her room. She said that her children
help from Russia.

Mrs. Azniv barely survived the massacres in Baku.

"My lezgi neighbor came and warned me that there were going to be
massacres. But it is not easy to let go of what you have. I thought
they wouldn’t do anything, but in the end…" Azniv said crying and
wasn’t able to go on. Then she went on to tell us how the Azeri from
Armenia invaded their house, beat and robbed them.

"My Russian acquaintances hid me for 15 days. At the time, chairs
and other items were flying out of windows to the major streets of
Baku. They used to light bonfires at nights and there were burnt
bodies everywhere," said Azniv adding that many people died on the
boats and only half of the people that came by boat remained alive.

"The Armenian community of Krasnadovsk welcomed us and accompanied
us to the airport to fly to Yerevan. I couldn’t believe that I was
coming to Armenia. It was there where I decided to bow down and kiss
the land because it is at that moment when you feel what the homeland
is," said Mrs. Azniv who doesn’t want to live anywhere else after
the events. Mrs. Azniv said that she had visited her sons in Russia,
but did not wish to stay.

She watches television and reads the Bible in her room. She offered
us some things to eat and asked when we would come back.

"My doors are always open. I will not go anywhere," she said.

Los Angeles Times, CA
Feb 8 2009

Vic Darchinyan backs up talk with convincing victory

As promised, he beats up on Jorge Arce.

Bill Dwyre
February 8, 2009

Vic Darchinyan, a boxer who threw as many insults before the fight as
he did lethal punches during it Saturday night, saved the final insult
for last.

After months of calling his super-flyweight opponent slow and dumb and
a fraud, as well as sparring with a female and declaring her a better
puncher, Darchinyan completed things by beating up the guy.

The mouth that roared finished popular Mexican Jorge Arce, much like
he said he would, in their 115-pound boxing title match at the Honda
Center. It ended with Darchinyan, the Armenian who lives in Australia,
way ahead on all cards and Arce sitting in his corner, bleeding badly
from both eyes but set to give it one more round.

Then ringside doctor Paul Wallace took a long look at the cuts around
Arce’s eyes and waved the end to the proceedings.

Good call by the good doctor. A final round would have been like an
extra episode of "M*A*S*H*." More blood for entertainment purposes
only.

Even the highly partisan Mexican crowd, increasingly quiet as the
battle went on, knew that enough was enough. Of the 5,450 who showed
up in person for the fight that was televised on a delayed basis on
Showtime, about 5,000 made enough pre-fight noise to make it clear
that Mexico is a lot close to Anaheim than Armenia or Australia.

They booed every sighting of Darchinyan and booed him all the way down
the aisle of his entrance.

Then he quickly shut them up with a wild-swinging start that left Arce
battered and cut early and became merely a prelude to more of the
same.

When the TKO was called after the 11th, each of the three judges had
Darchinyan ahead, 10 rounds to one.

Darchinyan, 33, who retained his three titles in three divisions and
increased his record to 32-1-1 with his 26th knockout, is fast
becoming an attraction, even though he weighs about the same as Andrew
Bynum’s injured leg and is fighting in a division that is not
traditionally of much marquee value.

Part of that is his pre-fight act, which crosses the line, even for
boxing. Among the quotes Darchinyan dished out in some of the
pre-fight hype sessions was the classic: "Mexico has a lot of great
fighters, but he’s not one of them."

And, on this night, the veteran Arce, now 51-5-1 and only 29 years
old, was clearly not.

He had countered Darchinyan’s blabber with his own attempts.

"Darchinyan’s greatest strength is his mouth," Arce said, among other
things.

Nope. That was maybe a strong second. His greatest strength was a left
hand that should be outlawed. Other fighters use their lead hand to
jab. Darchinyan uses his more like a gun sight.

To Arce’s credit, he remained on his feet to the end, something that
didn’t look likely in the early going. His toughness even impressed
Darchinyan, who predictably toned down the rhetoric a bit after it was
over.

"He surprised me," Darchinyan said. "I didn’t expect him to fight like
he did. He proved he was tough and a good fighter. I hit him with good
shots and he fought back.

"I would have liked to knock him out, but it’s OK the way it ended."

After it was over, Arce indicated that he was either more game than
any human should be or all those head shots had done some damage.

"I realize he was a strong fighter," he said, "but the cut was from
his elbow. I don’t know why they stopped it going into the last
round. A fighter always has a chance to win."

Realistically, Arce had none.

Later, after some time to think, Arce got it right.

"He’s a great fighter," he said.

The sky seems to be the limit now for Darchinyan, both with his mouth
and with his fists. He has even chattered about taking on Manny
Pacquiao, the sport’s current leading attraction. Pacquiao weighed 32
pounds more than Darchinyan’s 115 when he destroyed boxing legend
Oscar De La Hoya in December.

One thing is certain for the boxer whose nickname is, fittingly, the
"Raging Bull."

With Vic Darchinyan, talk is never cheap.

boxing8-2009feb08,1,960113.column

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA, TURKEY TO MEET IN MUNICH

armradio.am
06.02.2009 15:10

The Foreign Minister of Armenia and Turkey Edward Nalbandian and
Ali Babacan, will meet on the sidelines of a conference in Munich on
Friday, Turkish FM told reporters before his departure for Munich,
Hurriyet Daily reported.

Babacan and Nalbandian met last week on the sidelines of the annual
meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Babacan said
there has been an ongoing process between Turkey and Armenia, who
have no diplomatic relations and added that when a tangible outcome
is achieved it would be announced.

RA SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN EXPRESSES HIS CONDOLENCES AND CONDEMNS

National Assembly of RA
Feb 5 2009
Armenia

On behalf of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and on
my behalf I deeply express my condolences to the family of the Deputy
Chief of RA Police Gevorg Mheryan at his untimely and tragic death.

Strictly condemning what happened I apply the law enforcement bodies,
urging them to take all necessary steps for disclosing this atrocious
crime.

The law enforcement bodies must take strict and immediate steps for
eradicating and excluding such crimes in our country.