LATEST NEWS…SHARON VS DANNII ROUND TWO: Outspoken former X-Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has launched another scathing attack on her X-Factor co-star, the untalented Minogue sister (no need to elaborate). Mrs Osbourne previously said Dannii was only chosen as a judge because the show's creator Simon Cowell wanted to sleep with her. This time Sharon called Danni "f*cking useless." "She wasn't so much a dim bulb as a bulb in a power cut," Shaz added." You have to hand it to Sharon - she calls a spade a spade….NAOMI STRIKES AGAIN: Our favourite supermodel with anger management issues, Naomi Campbell, allegedly punched out a taxi driver in New York late last month. The driver claims the out-of-control model flew into a rage and began hitting him from the back seat leaving him with a black eye. He alleged that Naomi jumped from the vehicle and ran from the scene after he stopped the car to contact police. Taxi drivers all over New York now have a fear much greater than late-night knife muggings - God help them…WINO BACK WITH EX: Amy Winehouse has reunited with her druggie ex Blake Fielder-Civil. The pair were spotted pashing outside a London restaurant. The couple decided to reconcile their train-wreck relationship after Blake left her for another woman last year. Despite Blake making K-Fed look like the catch of the century, Wino probably hasn't been sober since she met him anyway. Well someone needs to fill Whitney and Bobby's shoes….TIGER'S GOT BALLS: Golf balls that is. Tiger Woods has resumed training and sources close to the family say the disgraced golfer will return to golf at the Tavistock Cup tournament on March 22. Meanwhile there has been no sign of the player's wronged wife Elin, although reports say she visited the man-whore - err sorry, her husband - in sex rehab. He probably should return to work since buying his wife's silence obviously comes at a very high price…LIFE IMITATES ART FOR TV STAR: 'Two and a Half Men' star John Cryer, who plays Charlie's super annoying brother Allen, isn't just hated by his onscreen ex wife. The whiny actor allegedly had a hit taken out on him by his actual ex wife (the aptly named) Sarah Trigger. A US court alleged that Trigger wanted to have the actor bumped off because he no longer agreed pay his $10 000-a-month child support for their two kids. Meanwhile his onscreen brother Charlie Sheen is in rehab after threatening his wife with a pocket knife. On the plus-side, there's enough drama in their lives to inspire a whole new series of 'Men'…UNDERBELLY - ANOTHER CONTROVERSY: It just wouldn't be Underbelly without controversy. The new series 'Underbelly: The Golden Years' about the Kings Cross underworld is again embroiled in controversy as a former Kings Cross police officer depicted in the show sues for defamation. The former officer, Wendy Gaye Hatfield, has demanded that the Supreme Court allow her to preview episodes before they go to air to ensure she has not been defamed. Hatfield believes that the plot suggests she had a sexual relationship with a notorious Kings Cross nightclub owner and was promoted in the NSW police force by providing sexual favours. While it all sounds juicy, Hatfield will try to stop parts of the show that paint her in a bad light from going to air. She probably doesn't realise she can cash in on the controversy just like Roberta Williams….MR HEIDI MONTAG IN HOSPITAL: Mrs plastic fantastic Heidi Montag's less famous other half, Spencer Pratt, was recently hospitalised needing stitches in his tongue. The injury to his tongue occurred in a bizarre incident where he implicated his new pet dog after he bit his own tongue leaving him unable to talk for several days. Unable to accept responsibility for being a clumsy fool, he blamed his poor (more intelligent) Pomeranian for his stupidity. Given the mindless rubbish that comes out of The Hills star's mouth, here's hoping he bites his tongue more often….JOHN HELPS JESS GET GUYS: John Mayer's recent comments about Jessica Simpson's talents as a lover are helping the blonde singer pull men. In an Oprah interview early this month, Jess said her phone had been ringing off the hook since John described her as "sexual napalm" to US Playboy. Meanwhile, no females will touch John Mayer with a ten foot pole after he described his junk as a 'white supremacist' and basically bagged all of his former girlfriends in the highest selling men's magazine in the world. Perhaps John also needs to have a freak accident involving Spencer Pratt's dog?...CHERYL COLE DUMPS HUSBAND: Another day, another sports star cheats on his wife. This time it's British soccer player Ashley Cole who has cheated on UK glamour girl and former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole. The 26-year-old glamour found Shane Warne-style text messages on her husband's phone and after countless other infidelities on his part, finally decided to leave his ass. Cheryl is busy promoting her solo album '3 Words' which has been given rave reviews, so she probably isn't wasting much time crying over it. For the last time girls, do not date rockers, sports men or actors - unless you are totally against monogamy….
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WAR CHILD: A BOY SOLDIER'S STORY
BY EMMANUEL JAL

Emmanuel Jal escaped a violent life to become Africa's #1 hip-hop artist, and an international ambassador for children in war-torn countries 'Frank, unsparing...[A] searing portrait of a war-torn youth turned community advocate and role model' - Kirkus Reviews

'There's no glamour here, no pitched battles, only unimaginable misery... Utterly grounded, specific and real... You'll come away from this book loving Emmanuel Jal' - Washington Post

'Fast-paced...stark...a provocative challenge' - The New York Times

In the mid-1980s, Emmanuel Jal was a seven year old Sudanese boy, living in a small village with his parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. But as Sudan's civil war moved closer - with the Islamic government seizing tribal lands for water, oil, and other resources - Jal's family moved again and again, seeking peace. Then, on one terrible day, Jal was separated from his mother, and later learned she had been killed; his father Simon rose to become a powerful commander in the Christian Sudanese Liberation Army, fighting for the freedom of Sudan. Soon, Jal was conscripted into that army, one of 10,000 child soldiers, and fought through two separate civil wars over nearly a decade.

But, remarkably, Jal survived, and his life began to change when he was rescued by a British aid worker (Emma McCune) who smuggled him into Nairobi to raise him as her own. To help ease the pain of what he had experienced, Emmanuel started singing, beginning a journey that would lead him to change his name and record and release his own album. In 2005, he released his first album, 'Gua' ("peace" in his native Nuer tongue), with the title track broadcast across Africa over the BBC and becoming a number one hit in Kenya. 'Gua' also earned him a spot on Bob Geldof's "Live 8_ concert in the UK. Jal performed at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London, June 08, he shared a stage with Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Damien Marley and Stephen Marley at the Black Ball in London in July 08 and also addressed delegates at the UN in New York in the same month. Jal has also performed with Razorlight, Supergrass, and Faithless in Europe Shocking, inspiring, and finally hopeful, War Child is a memoir by a unique young man, who is determined to tell his story and in so doing bring peace to his homeland.

EMMANUEL JAL

EMMANUEL JAL lives in London. His music has been featured in the movie 'Blood Diamond', the documentary 'God Grew Tired of Us', and in three episodes of 'ER'. He is a spokesman for Amnesty International and Oxfam, and has done work for Save the Children, UNICEF, World Food Programme, Christian Aid, and other charities, and has established his own charitable foundation, Gua Africa, to help former Sudanese child soldiers. He has been featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, the Washington Post, Newsweek.com, and on NPR, CNN, Fox, MTV, and the BBC. A documentary about Jal's life, also called 'War Child', premiered to acclaim at the February 2008 Berlin Film Festival and the April 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. His first international music album 'War Child' was released in May 2008 on the Sonic360 label (distribution by ADA Global) with additional production and mix by Neal Pogue (Outkast, Talib Kweli, Pharohae Monch).

Listen to the music and watch the trailer at www.emmaueljal.org

Emmanuel Jal will also be a guest of the Sydney Writers Festival 18-24 May. Dates are:

Sonya Renee and Emmanuel Jal
Thu, 21 May 2009
7:00pm-8:00pm
Venue: Riverside Theatres, Raffertys Theatre, Cnr Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
Presenters: Sonya Renee & Emmanuel Jal
Facilitator: Morganics
Cost: Free, bookings recommended on (02) 8839 3399

Emmanuel Jal and Sonya Renee speak about combining creativity and activism with award-winning Australian hip hop artist and spoken-word performer Morganics. Emmanuel Jal was only seven years old when he was taken from his family home to become a child soldier with the rebel army in Sudan's bloody civil war for nearly five years. Now, he is an internationally acclaimed hip-hop artist who spreads a message of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences. Sonya Renee is possibly the most distinguished, accomplished and recognisable woman in the world of slam poetry. A social activist and women's rights advocate, she uses her blunt, raw and poignant poetry to challenge society to face its deepest and most long-lived ills with strength and courage. Supported by Parramatta City Council.

Will the Real Writer Please Stand Up?
Sat, 23 May 2009
10:30am-11:30am
Venue: Bangarra Theatre, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Presenters: Miles Merrill, Sarah Blasko, Chris Bray, Emmanuel Jal
Facilitator: Benito Di Fonzo
Cost: Free

Who gets to call themselves a writer and why? Singer/songwriter Sarah Blasko, spokenword artist Miles Merrill, Sudanese hip hop artist Emmanuel Jal and adventurer and journalist Chris Bray dissect their various approaches to being a 'writer', with SMH arts journalist Benito di Fonzo. Presented in association with Word Travels.

The Message
Sat, 23 May 2009
1:00pm-2:00pm
Venue: Heritage Pier, Main Stage, Pier 2/3, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Presenters: James Maskalyk, Benjamin Gilmour, Emmanuel Jal
Facilitator: Meredith Griffiths
Cost: $15/$10 Bookings (02) 9250 1988

Is it possible that wars can be fought, even won, via non-violent mediums like film and blogs? Experiences in the tribal provinces of Pakistan led Benjamin Gilmour to make his film Son of a Lion in an attempt to combat negative stereotypes about the Pashtun people. MSF doctor James Maskalyk's experience in Sudan inspired him to write a blog that ultimately became a book, in order to limit the distance which separates action from inaction. Emmanuel Jal has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences as a child soldier in Sudan. Benjamin Gilmour, James Maskalyk and Emmanuel Jal discuss with Meredith Griffiths.

Emmanuel Jal in Conversation
Sun, 24 May 2009
1:00pm-2:00pm
Venue: Heritage Pier, Main Stage, Pier 2/3, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Presenters: Emmanuel Jal
Facilitator: Annette Shun Wah
Cost: $15/$10 Bookings (02) 9250 1988

Emmanuel Jal was only seven years old when he was taken from his family home to become a child soldier with the rebel army in Sudan's bloody civil war for nearly five years. Beaten, starved and brutalised, Emmanuel was put into battle in Ethiopia and southern Sudan carrying an AK-47 taller than himself. He attempted to leave the SPLA but was hunted down and thrown into a desert prison. Now an internationally acclaimed hip hop artist spreading messages of peace and reconciliation, he talks about his memoir 'War Child: A Boy Soldier's Story' with Annette Shun Wah.

ANNETTE SHUN WAH is a writer, actor and broadcaster. Co-author of Banquet: Ten Courses to Harmony, she has also contributed short stories to several anthologies including Come Away With Me, Growing up Asian in Australia and Grandma Magic. She has published essays, articles and reviews, and has been a regular contributor to The Sydney Morning Herald. Annette currently serves on committees for Performance 4a and Asialink.

For more information on other talks at the Sydney Writers Festival visit www.swf.org.au

'War Child: A Boy Soldier's Story' is available now.

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