Author: Kalantarian Kevo

INTERVIEW: ANGELA SARAFYAN TALKS ORGY, BREAKING DAWN
Brent Simon

Shockya.com

Sept 2 2011

It’s another sweltering late summer day in Los Angeles, and Angela
Sarafyan, our interview having just wrapped, has had enough. Her
professional obligations for the afternoon apparently complete, she
strolls over to the rooftop pool at the swanky hotel at which we have
gathered, and climbs in for a quick dip. In her dress.

It’s a bit nervy, sure, but actually not that thematically or
behaviorally detached when one considers the occasion for our
gathering: to discuss “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy,” a new ensemble
comedy about a tight-knit group of friends who, when faced with
the prospect of losing the summer getaway house that’s served as
the crash-pad for years’ worth of great parties, decide to go out
with a bang – literally. Shooting on location in Wilmington, North
Carolina, gave Sarafyan the opportunity to re-enact many of her
favorite “Dawson’s Creek” moments of yesteryear, but, alas, there
was no Dawson or Pacey to sweep her off her feet. ShockYa had the
opportunity to recently chat one-on-one with Sarafyan, about “Orgy,”
what people might most recognize her from right now, and what people
might most recognize her from in the very near future. The conversation
is excerpted below:

ShockYa: So I’m not going to start this interview probably where you
expect. Instead, I’m going to ask you how many people approach you
and ask you about State Farm insurance?

Angela Sarafyan: Oh, a lot. (laughs)

ShockYa: A lot? Or do you just get mostly quizzical looks from people
who can’t quite place you?

AS: Well, my hair used to be darker, so I would get, “Are you the
State Farm girl?” The [last time it happened] was in El Paso. I was
working on a movie there, and some of these girls walked in and asked
me. It was interesting to see how people responded to that commercial.

ShockYa: It seemed to be one of those that hung around for a while,
and really caught on. And so do you have State Farm insurance?

AS: I don’t. (mock cringes) But the agent in that is really a State
Farm agent, and was a really nice man. They pulled him from Miami or
Florida or somewhere.

ShockYa: Movie titles change all the time, but frequently it’s
something that’s perhaps reflective of the true nature of the film
that’s being changed to something tawdry or sexy in order to try
to better sell it. “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy,” though, is actually
about a good, old-fashioned orgy. Was that always the title?

AS: Yeah, it was the original title when I got the script. It changed
to just “A Good Old Fashioned” when we were out on location in North
Carolina, and for a while they were debating about changing the title,
but both Pete (Huyck) and Alex (Gregory, the writer-directors) really
wanted to keep it. I think it’s fantastic, and the actors all liked it.

ShockYa: You were born in Armenia and moved to the United States when
you were four or five years old. And your biography in the press kit
mentions that you were inspired by “The Terminator” to want to act –
is that really true?

AS: (laughs) Yeah, it’s crazy. I was sitting with my dad one day
watching “The Terminator” and I was struck by just how wild that
world was. I thought, “That is nothing like this world. It’s crazy,
the stuff that they get to do. I will die if I just get to be in a
different world like that for a day.” So that’s what inspired me,
the idea of being in [some other] story or place – if you were Donald
Duck’s girlfriend or a Smurf or Mickey Mouse, or something in a
complete dream world. Like, Alice in Wonderland – how awesome would
it be if you ate a piece of chocolate and turned really little or
really big? That’s cool. And that’s what is so cool about “Twilight,”
too, that you really are on a whole other world that’s so different
from reality.

ShockYa: And different from a movie like this, too, which is much
more modestly budgeted.

AS: Absolutely. That’s the thing – as a four- or five-year-old, I
knew that I loved to tell stories and live in a whole dreamlike world,
but as I grew up getting to actually play different people and learn
how they go about their lives was another element that appealed to
me about acting.

ShockYa: I imagine it depends partially on the role, but are you big
into research? What are the first couple building blocks that you
attack when you’re trying to build a character?

AS: Everything. It depends on the part and how much information the
script has and whether it takes a lot of dramaturgy, if the script
requires it. With this character (Willow, in “Orgy”), I was looking
for as many clues as I could, and then creating it with whatever
inspired me in those moments. But if it’s in the Victorian era or a
whole other lifetime then I’d like to learn about that place and time,
and how people lived, spoke and behaved. You look at all of that.

ShockYa: Almost as interesting as the orgy – which sounds weird to say
– was this film’s idea of these huge, themed bacchanals that Jason
Sudeikis’ character throws for all his pals. In your real life, do
you have any friends or family who are like that – just the big party
people, who really get into planning these huge, costume-type events?

AS: I think Pete is. I’ve become friends with him, and he’s the one
who does that. He throws these huge parties, these gatherings every
Thursday, and he is someone who’s been everywhere, too. If you go
in his house, he has incredible paintings and art, and a million
different teas.

ShockYa: Like drinking teas?

AS: Yeah, different teas from different countries, and he knows so
much about them and is so cultured.

ShockYa: What was the casting and audition process like, because I
know the orgy stuff was shuffled to the end of the filming schedule,
in order to give you actors more of a chance to build a rapport, right?

AS: I auditioned initially and was asked to go to a table read, where
I met all of the actors at Pete’s house. Then we flew out to North
Carolina two weeks before filming. And like Tyler (Labine) said,
it had the dynamic of a family. There were competitive elements,
but I think eventually you really get to know people where there is
that kind of honesty, and you grow to love each other and understand
everyone’s qualities naturally. That was one of the things that was
so cool about working on this film – that Pete and Alex made sure
that we were together on our days off, which we were happy to do. I
think with our joys and even dislikes of each other, we were happy,
ultimately, and certainly supportive, and we grew from it. I certainly
learned a lot from that experience.

ShockYa: “Twilight” is enormously popular and “Breaking Dawn,” which
you are in, is sure to be huge. You play Egyptian vampire Tia, which
sounds kind of sexy and dangerous.

AS: She is, both sexy and dangerous. It’s not that much make-up,
actually, but it will be extraordinary. I keep using that word! I’m
sick of that word. It will be huge! The whole thing will be
mind-blowing, I think. Tia comes from Egypt, and she grew up in
poverty, so she’s learned to survive as a person from the streets. Her
and Benjamin both lived, struggled, did things, and eventually
they get this opportunity with what happens with Renesmee to fight
authority. And I think that’s a really exciting thing for both of
them, because if you look at it it’s incredible. The book and movie
actually covers really big themes – the rich against the poor, power
against the person that is oppressed. And I think in Egypt, especially
with everything that is happening now, well, it’s funny that that is
happening. …Most women from the Middle East are told to cover their
faces, but I don’t think that (choice) exists for Tia. She’s a strong,
beautiful, sexy woman. So I compare it to Cleopatra and Mark Antony in
a way. She was a ruler, and so I think they’re a team, working together
to maybe fight something that will save a lot of vampires ultimately.

ShockYa: I also wanted to ask you about “Lost and Found in Armenia,”
which is a bilingual dramedy you shot with Jamie Kennedy. It sounds
like an intriguing concept.

AS: Yes, I completed shooting that in Armenia. It was an interesting
experience. Going back to Armenia – because in all these years I’d
never been back – was a surprise for me, because the things that
really affected me I didn’t [expect]. I didn’t know that the incredible
mountains and history was going to impact me as much.

Culturally, in terms of the city and modern-day life, it’s almost
as foreign as going to any other foreign country. I realize I’m very
American in a lot of ways, but there’s a deep-rooted part of me that
is unexplainably touched and moved by the culture there. And the
people, too. I mean, imagine living in a village and eating tomatoes
and making your own little cucumbers and getting bread, where you are
the one supporting yourself all throughout. People there, even though
they have no money and are in poverty, are very generous. They will
offer you what they have, and that’s a very attractive quality. That
and seeing the old churches that have existed for a thousand years,
there’s a certain spirit there.

OSCE OFFICE IN YEREVAN ENCOURAGES SENSITIVE REPORTING ON RELIGIOUS ISSUES

States News Service
August 5, 2011 Friday

The following information was released by the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE):

A three-day OSCE-supported workshop for Armenian journalists on
national legislation and international human rights standards on
freedom of religion or belief began today in Tsakhkadzor.

The event is organized by the Collaboration for Democracy Centre
with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan for 20 journalists
and follows a similar workshop held on 22-24 July for 20 students.

“Journalists are accountable for the social and political consequences
of their actions and have a duty to maintain the highest ethical and
professional standards. In this respect, we encourage the media to
be responsible and avoid discriminatory and defamatory references to
beliefs, religious communities and spiritual values,” said Vladimir
Tchountoulov, Human Rights Officer of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

“We believe that this training will help the Armenian media to broaden
their understanding of the issue and improve their reporting style
by showing more respect and sensitivity to different groups,” he added.

Workshop participants will discuss how to strike an appropriate
balance between the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion
or belief. The course will use examples from the case-law of the
European Court of Human Rights.

Sona Harutyunyan, a journalist from “Hraparak” newspaper, who
participated in the event said it “helped to break the stereotypes that
we currently have. A new view point was introduced, which was very
useful for us, the journalists. The seminar gave us an opportunity
to be more impartial and objective in our future work, when writing
about religious matters.”

The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights together
with the Venice Commission provided two joint opinions on the new
draft Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations in 2009
and in 2010. A new package, including a draft law and amendments to
other relevant legislation, is currently being developed which will
be discussed this month at a roundtable organized jointly by the
Armenian Ministry of Justice and the OSCE Office.

FITCH AFFIRMS ARMENIA’S RATING WITH STABLE OUTLOOK

Mediamax
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Fitch Ratings international rating agency has
affirmed Armenia’s Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer
Default Ratings (IDR) at ‘BB-‘ level. The Outlook on the Long-term
IDRs is Stable.

At the same time, Fitch has affirmed the Short-term local currency IDR
at ‘B’ and Country Ceiling at ‘BB’ on September 1, Mediamax reports
quoting Fitch

“The affirmation of Armenia’s ratings reflects the fact that the
authorities are reducing fiscal and external imbalances in line with
their IMF-backed economic policy program,” says Charles Seville,
Director in Fitch’s Sovereign group, adding that the Armenian
economy is vulnerable to external shocks as the government debt and
gross external debt are materially higher than they were before the
2008-2009 crisis.

Fitch expects the government to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3.9% of
GDP in 2011. Withdrawing fiscal stimulus, the government narrowed the
deficit to 5% of GDP in 2010. Consolidation plans rely on a mixture
of restraining spending and increasing tax collection – a perennial
challenge. The government is targeting further reduction to 3.2%
of GDP in 2012, an election year.

Fitch also notes that the current account deficit (CAD) has narrowed
in 2010-2011, driven by a revival in exports. This trend is expected
to continue in 2012-2013. A forecast deficit of 12% of GDP in 2011
will be financed by external borrowing and FDI of around 6% of GDP.

Fitch forecasts real GDP growth of 4%-5% in 2011-2013, close to
medium-term potential growth. According to Charles Seville, the
CB is currently reducing dollarization and strengthens the role of
Armenian dram.

Fitch notes that emerging from the 2009 recession without requiring
solvency support the small, well-capitalized Armenian financial sector
does not pose a major risk to sovereign creditworthiness. Write-offs
have reduced non-performing loans to 3% of assets from a 2009 peak
of over 10%. CBA is tightening regulation and encouraging local
currency lending.

“Pressure on reserves or the dram – following a global slowdown or
shock to Russian growth – would weaken the external balance sheet
and could lead to negative rating action. Armenia’s ability to absorb
further external shocks has been weakened by the crisis, which pushed
up government debt to 40% of GDP (in line with the ‘BB’ median) and
GXD. Renewed domestic or external (surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh)
political tension could also lead to negative rating action”,
notes Fitch.

The agency also notes that if Armenia follows through with fiscal
reforms and narrow the twin deficits this would put upward pressure
on the ratings. A sustained reduction in dollarization would also
be positive.

ARMENIA EASE TO WIN OVER MINNOWS ANDORRA

Irish Examiner

Sept 2 2011

Andorra 0 Armenia 3

Armenia picked up their third win in Euro 2012 qualifying after easing
past Group B’s bottom side Andorra.

Marcos Pizzelli gave the visitors the lead 10 minutes before half-time
at the Estadi Comunal in Andorra la Vella and Gevorg Ghazaryan doubled
their advantage in the 57th minute.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan completed the scoring with a stoppage-time penalty
at the end of the game after Andorra defender Ildefons Lima was sent
off in conceding the spot-kick.

The result lifts fourth-placed Armenia onto 11 points but is not enough
to gain them any places in the standings, while Andorra remain rooted
to the foot of the table with no points from their seven games.

Armenia had already seen Ghazaryan fire an effort wide from the edge
of the area and an Artur Sarkisov shot tipped around the post by
Andorra goalkeeper Jose Antonio Gomez by the time they went ahead
through Pizzelli.

The Metalurg Donetsk forward found the top right-hand corner of the
net from outside the box to record his third goal in qualifying.

That was the only strike separating the sides at the break, but Armenia
started the second period looking determined to put further distance
between themselves and their hosts.

Sarkisov and Edgar Manucharyan both tried their luck from outside the
area without hitting the target before Pizzelli, in the 54th minute,
brought a brilliant parry out of Gomez.

Gomez then easily dealt with visiting captain Sargis Hovsepyan’s
65th-minute shot before the home custodian produced another fine stop
to keep out Ghazaryan’s drilled right-footer five minutes later.

Gomez could not continue keeping the Armenia attack at bay, though,
and the visitors doubled their advantage when Ghazaryan fired in from
close range.

Armenia added a third goal late on when Mkhitaryan slotted home
from the penalty spot after Lima had brought down Karlen Lazarian –
a foul that saw the Andorra skipper shown a straight red card.

ARMENIA OFFERS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO GEORGIA

The Messenger
Sept 2 2011
Georgia

The Armenian Minister of Agriculture, Samvel Karapetyan stated that
Armenia can export fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products
to Georgia. Georgia’s Ambassador to Armenia Tengiz Sharmanashvili
offered to export corn to Armenia from Georgia. Discussions showed
that Armenia’s agriculture is more developed than Georgia’s and
the Georgian Government has expressed interest in sharing Armenia’s
experience in developing agriculture in Georgia.

ARMENIAN CHILDREN ILLEGALLY RESIDING IN TURKEY TO RECEIVE EDUCATION

Trend Sept 2 2011 Azerbaijan

The children of Armenians illegally living in Turkey will be educated
at Turkish schools intended for national minorities in 2011, the
Turkish Education Ministry told Trend.

“The decision was made in accordance with Education Minister Omer
Dincer’s order,” a report reads.

The Armenian community’s proposal directed to the Education Ministry
was supported.

During his visit to Britain in March 2010, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said if Armenia continues to disrupt stability in the
region, Ankara will expel 100,000 Armenians illegally living in Turkey.

TWO MEN IN A BOAT
by Ivan Sukhov

Moscow News
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 12, 2011 Friday
Russia

PRESIDENTS DMITRY MEDVEDEV (RUSSIA) AND ILHAM ALIYEV (AZERBAIJAN)
MET IN SOCHI; Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev discussed Karabakh
conflict resolution.

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
met in Sochi this Tuesday. It was their first meeting following the
Russian-Azerbaijani-Armenian summit last month where no progress at
all had been made in the matter of the Karabakh conflict resolution.

No official statements were made after the negotiations in
Sochi, yesterday. Medvedev said before the talks, “Let us have a
straightforward discourse on what is to be done now and what turn the
events might take following our previous meeting in Kazan and other
analogous meetings.”

A source within the Presidential Administration said that the
discourse had been straightforward indeed. The leaders did their
best to understand who or what was impairing the process of conflict
resolution.

The trilateral meeting in Kazan this July had been something expected
with anticipation in Yerevan, Baku, and Nagorno-Karabakh itself. It
was thought that a framework document on Karabakh conflict resolution
principles would be signed there. It would have become a crowning
accomplishment of Russian diplomacy and Medvedev himself. On the
other hand, this signing would have changed the status quo and that
could result in another outbreak of hostilities.

Skeptics had been correct to sneer at the expectations. No documents
were signed in Kazan. Baku put forth a whole number of new demands. At
some point all involved parties even feared that the trilateral format
might actually become history.

Fortunately, the latest developments and meetings in Sochi dispelled
these fears.

Medvedev emphasized in an interview several days ago, on the third
anniversary of the Russian-Georgian conflict, that however complicated
ethnic and territorial conflicts might be, even extended negotiations
were better than actual attempts to settle the matter by sheer
strength of arms. In fact, Medvedev said that he was talking about
Karabakh. His words caused a public outcry in Azerbaijan whose state
officials including Aliyev himself regularly remind whoever cares to
listen of their readiness to reconquer Karabakh.

Aliyev was quite non-aggressive in Sochi. “I’d like to thank you once
again for the efforts to settle the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh,” he told the host. “We of Azerbaijan appreciate
what you have been doing.” Aliyev called the Karabakh conflict the
main threat to regional security.

A source within the Kremlin said that the period of mutual
disappointment and frustration with each other seemed to be over.

Medvedev will meet with his Armenian counterpart Serj Sargsjan at the
informal summit of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
in Astana (Kazakhstan) scheduled to begin on August 12.

ARMENIA RECOGNIZES THE NEW POWER IN LIBYA

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenia recognizes the Libyan Transitional National
Assembly as a legitimate power.

Spokesperson for Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan reported
that the relevant note was handed over through Libyan Embassy to
Paris on August 31.

On September 1, the oppositional Armenian National Congress called
on Armenian authorities to recognize the new power in Libya.

Mediamax notes that the Republic of Armenia established diplomatic
relations with Libyan Arab Jamahiriya only nine years after declaration
of Armenia’s independence, in June 2000. A year later, in July 2001,
the current Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Sergey Manasaryan was
appointed Armenia’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Libya.

In February 2011, Armenia evacuated 3 Armenian citizens from Libya
who were on a study and business there.

YEREVAN GIFTED EQUIPMENT TO KARABAKH CAPITAL

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The city of Yerevan granted necessary equipment for public
parks and street lights of Stepanakert on the occasion of the 20th
year of independence of Karabakh, press service of Yerevan City Hall
informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Besides, the only current operating library of Stepanakert was granted
with 1000 art literature. Schools and kindergartens were equipped too.

Stepanakert will have a new system to manage the emergency situations.

The city hall has a special equipped room for that reason. Highly
specialized doctors from Yerevan have helped many people in Stepanakert
for three days for free. They also distributed medical peels and
conducted surgeries.

Karabakh Minister of Healthcare Sergey Movsisyan thanked the doctors
from Yerevan. The minister paid importance to the exchange of the
experience.

KARABAKH AZERBAIJAN DIRECT DIALOGUE MAY BE THE NEXT REASONABLE STEP
Armen Hareyan

HULIQ.com, SC

Sept 2 2011

If Armenia and Azerbaijan fail to conclude an honorable peace over the
final status of Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Madrid Principles fail,
then a direct dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert may be the next
expected step. Karabakh’s president already announced he is ready
for direct talks with Azerbaijan.

“If they come out of the Madrid proposals having discussed all matters
on the table, and if he considers that all the other solutions are
indeed exhausted, the sides will come before the next reasonable
package, which is the direct dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.”

The is what the head of “European Integration” non-governmental
organization Karen Bekaryan told journalist in Armenia’s capital
Yerevan. The political scientist noted that it is likely that in the
near future there will come forward a new package for the settlement
of Nagorno Karabakh’s final status in which the direct talks between
Karabakh and Azerbaijan will be the key component.

Speaking on the even of the 20th anniversary of Nagorno Karabakh’s
independence Bekaryan said there are four directions that the
society in the region should pay attention. Those directions are
the negotiation process, building the democratic institutions of the
state, understanding the international background and its positively
changing attitudes toward people’s right to self-determination and
the cooperation between the republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Bekaryan said that there is one aspect in the negotiation process
that he considers very important, the package of “Common State.” That
concept became a deciding factor for the future direction of the
negotiation process with Azerbaijan. The political scientist said that
he is convinced that by rejecting the “Common State” with Karabakh
and agreeing instead to give Karabakh’s population a “broad autonomy”
the leadership of Azerbaijan showed that its position is not sincere
in the negotiation process.

Speaking about the building of the democratic institutions of the
state Bekaryan said that the state and democratic institutions in
Nagorno Karabakh function at much higher level than in the new states
that were recently recognized by the United Nations. Bekaryan also
noted that the international community’s attitude is changing when it
comes to accepting people’s right to self determination. He pointed
out to the newly-independent states such as Kosovo, East Timor and
Southern Sudan, saying the international community is more prone to
recognize the legitimacy of their independence. As to how well the
Armenian side can benefit from this changed attitude Bekaryan said
depends on the level of effort spent on promoting Nagorno Karabakh’s
right to self determination and raising awareness about its legitimacy.

As for the cooperation between Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh, the political scientist noted that Armenia’s position here
is quite clear as noted through the President’s words that Armenia will
recognize Nagorno Karabakh’s independence if Azerbaijan starts war.