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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Media Man News: Gaming, Politics, Hulk Hogan, WWE, Marvel Entertainment, Crown Limited, Crown Macau, Shane Warne, Gene Simmons, by Greg Tingle - 4th October 2011

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Scoop: Hulk Hogan TNA retirement announcement may be real says insiders; Sting angle suggests part "work" YouTube link

Hulk Hogan slashes the price of his Florida mansion by a whopping $16 million...

He is said to be worth a staggering $32 million.

But former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan is so keen to add to his millions that he is slashing the price of his Florida mansion by $16m in a bid to sell it as fast as possible.
The 58-year-old muscle man just reduced the price of the huge home to just $8.85m - the fourth reduction in price since the home was originally listed back in 2006 at $25m.

And it seems he's not above using his celebrity status to help unload the 17,000sq ft Mediterranean-style mansion, which has five bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, and sits on the scenic Gulf of Mexico, in Clearwater.

The description on Realtor.com reads: 'Located on an exclusive tree lined street in the residential Town of Belleair, this exquisite residence is owned by television personality Hulk Hogan.'

The two story home, which was built in 1996, features a gym and spa, five-car garage and a pool with a two-tier waterfall.

The Tudor style property also boasts vaulted beamed ceilings and dark hardwood or tiled floor throughout as well as expansive living areas and lush gardens.

Hulk, whose real name is Terry Bollea, originally lived in the home with his ex-wife Linda, who filed for divorce from the star in November 2007.

The couple, along with their two children, Nick, 21, and Brooke, 23, filmed their reality show 'Hogan Knows Best' in the home.

Meanwhile, Hogan is currently getting slammed by mini wrestler Steve Richardson - aka 'Puppet the Psycho Dwarf' for allegedly ripping off his TV idea.

Steve, who is behind the little-person wrestling programme 'Half-Pint Brawlers' says that he's considering suing the Hulk for copying his venture.

Hulk's latest TV idea is also a dwarf-fighting show - Hulk Hogan's Micro Championship Wrestling (MCW) and Steve says it's just not fair.

"I have no ill feelings toward Hogan, but loads of his wrestlers are the guys I fired," The 42-year-old said. "They're using all the ideas everything I came up with. There's no individuality. They're following the same concepts. It's a violation of intellectual property rights," fumed the 4'4" strongman.

MCW owner Johnny Greene says Steve is flipping out over nothing: "We had this idea first, but they rushed to the network to get their show on the air first, figuring whoever got on the air first would capture the audience," he said.

"But their show sucked. They were doing midgets and 'Jackass,' and ours is a real wrestling show." Holding no punches Greene added: "Puppet's just trying to jump on the bandwagon because their business is dying."

Half Pint Brawlers, Inc was started 15 years ago but they have been having trouble holding down a TV series.

A spokesperson for Hogan declined to comment.


How Hulk Hogan blew his millions: Cars, houses, holidays...

Hulk Hogan blew "hundreds of millions" of dollars on palatial homes and fast cars.

The wrestling legend - real name Terry Bollea - admitted he wasted the vast sums of money he earned during his years in the WWE and WCW and is living in a rented home after slashing US$16 million (NZ$21m) off the price of his Florida mansion in order to get a quick sale.

The WWE Hall of Fame inductee told Good Morning America: "There were houses being bought, and cars being bought, and vacations for family members. There was eight, nine, $10 million, $11 million going out, so it got way off."

Despite his financial troubles, Hulk seemingly announced his retirement from professional wrestling on TNA TV show Impact Wrestling, claiming he wanted to break the news to his fans first because they always stuck by him through the major difficulties in his life, including a divorce from wife Linda in 2007.

However, speculation is rife his retirement is a 'work' - part of a wrestling storyline - and he will step inside the squared circle again against Sting at upcoming pay-per-view Bound For Glory.

Meanwhile, Hulk has run into trouble after attempting to boost his finances with his latest venture, a reality TV show on US network TruTV featuring miniature wrestlers, after midget competitor Steve Richardson - aka 'Puppet the Psycho Dwarf' - accused him of stealing his idea.

He said: "I have no ill feelings toward Hogan, but loads of his wrestlers are the guys I fired. They're using all the ideas everything I came up with. There's no individuality. They're following the same concepts. It's a violation of intellectual property rights."

MCW wrestling owner Johnny Greene said: "We had this idea first, but they rushed to Spike TV to get their show on the air first, figuring whoever got on the air first would capture the audience.

"But their show sucked. They were doing midgets and Jackass, and ours is a real wrestling show. Puppet's just trying to jump on the bandwagon because their business is dying."


NRL Football Broadcast Attack On Slot Machine Reform Came From 'Up Top'...

A respected NRL commentator has admitted that ostensibly off-the-cuff remarks during a rugby league final attacking proposed poker machine reforms were provided to him by Channel Nine management.

The admission by Ray Warren, one of Australia's most famous sports commentators and a former gambler, emerge as the two independent politicians backing the pokie reforms lodge a formal complaint with the broadcaster over the remarks, which they say break the law.

Warren and fellow commentator Phil Gould have been criticised for statements made just after half-time in the preliminary final between Manly and Brisbane on September 23. ''The proposed mandatory pre-commitment that they've put forward is a rubbish policy. It won't work,'' Gould said.

"It won't solve the problem they say they're going to target, and it will do irreparable damage to the hospitality industry. It won't work and it will hurt." Click here for the full story via The Sydney Morning Herald


Shane, Liz confirm engagement on Twitter...

Shane Warne and Liz Hurley are to marry after the former cricketer proposed to the British actress and model during a trip to Scotland.

Warne proposed to Hurley, who became famous as actor Hugh Grant's long-time girlfriend, after a romantic dinner on Friday at an exclusive hotel in St Andrews, on Scotland's east coast, where the bowler was taking part in a golf tournament.

"Thanks for all your congratulations," they said on their Twitter pages, attaching a photograph of themselves about to go to dinner in St Andrews.

Spin legend Warne, 42, got down on one knee and popped the question in front of other diners and when Hurley agreed the couple were given a standing ovation, The Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Telegraph newspapers reported.

Pictures showed the couple smiling as they walked arm in arm across a golf course on Saturday, with Hurley, 46, wearing a large sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

They were greeted by shouts of congratulations from well-wishers as the pro-amateur Alfred Dunhill Links Championship got under way, the Mail said.

The couple first met at an English race meeting in July last year and have since been spotted together regularly.

When she met Warne, Hurley was still married to Indian businessman Arun Nayar but the couple divorced in December.

Warne has dramatically lost weight since starting to date Hurley and new pictures of the noticeably slimmer star caused astonishment when they emerged in August.

His romances have sparked almost as much media attention as his performances on the pitch and his energetic love life is widely thought to have cost him the Australian captaincy.

Hurley and actor Hugh Grant were one of Britain's leading celebrity couples in the 1990s but separated in 2000.


Gene Simmons marries former Playmate...

Rocker Gene Simmons and his longtime girlfriend, erotic actress and former Playboy model Shannon Tweed, have tied the knot.

Publicist Dawn Miller offered her congratulations to "the new married couple" on Facebook.

Simmons and Tweed, 54, have been a couple for years. Their engagement announcement last month surprised many fans. Tweed was Playboy's Playmate of the Year in 1982.

People magazine reported the couple exchanged vows they wrote themselves.

The magazine said about 400 guests attended the Saturday evening ceremony outside a Beverly Hills hotel.

The 62-year-old Kiss bassist and the 54-year-old Tweed have two children.

The new season of the reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels premieres in America this week.


IGT Reaches Agreement with Aristocrat to Settle Patent Litigation...

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 3, 2011

International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) announced today that it has settled its patent litigation with Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL). IGT and Aristocrat have cross-licensed each other to their patents and they will have the right to offer all the products which were the subject matter of the litigations subject to certain royalty obligations. This settlement ends all present patent litigation between IGT and Aristocrat and their subsidiaries.

"IGT is pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with Aristocrat and put these disputes behind us," said Robert G. Melendres, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at IGT. "This settlement confirms and reinforces the importance of intellectual property to IGT and this industry."

Two of the settled lawsuits were pending in the United States. In 2006, Aristocrat sued IGT in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on patents related to multi-level progressives such as Aristocrat's HYPERLINK and IGT's FORT KNOX products. In 2010, IGT sued Aristocrat in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on patents related to the authentication of software in slot machines. The other lawsuit was pending in Australia. In 2010, Aristocrat sued IGT AU in the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales District Registry, on an Australian patent related to a side bet feature on slot machines.

About IGT

International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets.


Australia could cash-in on casino tourism...

Australia’s concerns on gambling are turning us into a “nanny state’, according to Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) chief executive John Lee who said embracing casinos could assist the industry.

Mr Lee explained Aussies need to drop the outdated view that casinos are just for gambling because it does not represent the fact that they are used for more than just their gaming facilities, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

TTF’s head continued that properties such as the Crown in Melbourne are popular for more than just their pokie machines, with “spas, dining, bars – a while plethora of things people can do”.
With a Euromonitor International survey ranking Crown Casino as the highest Australian attraction and seventeenth most popular worldwide, Mr Lee said Australia should not have to apologise for developing properties that attract international tourists.

"In terms of inbound tourism, the biggest forward market is the Chinese market and they enjoy their food and enjoy a bet - we shouldn't have to apologise for developing the right sort of product to accommodate that," he explained to the newspaper.

Mr Lee was concerned for the long term restrictions of the proposed law that allows gamblers to notify the venue of a maximum loss before playing.

Earlier this year Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson concurred with Mr Lee’s ideas, arguing that casino tourism “is real”.

''Unfortunately, this is a fact of life - high-roller tourism is big-yield tourism,” Mr Ferguson said.

Topping Euromonitor’s list of worldwide attractions was the Great Wall of China followed by Walt Disney World.


Comic Book Movies, Games Et Al...

Be it movies, comics or games, we think that Marvel Entertainment leads the pack, followed by DC Comics, with Dark Horse Comics getting a third, based on the positive news leaks and insider tip offs we've been getting.

As Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say, Excelsior!

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