VOA常速英语2007年-Spotlight Often Glaring for Troubled Female Cel

By Ruth Reader
Washington
18 December 2007
 

2007 was a troubling year for several female celebrities¹. And the year also was marked by slow music sales, an unpredictable box office and a Hollywood writers' strike. VOA's Ruth Reader reviews the year's top entertainment news.

Four celebrities repeatedly found themselves in the spotlight² in 2007, and the glare was often harsh. In the case of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith, it was tragic³. She died in February from an accidental prescription⁴ drug overdose. The reality TV star died less than a year after the death of her 20-year-old son in a drug related incident and the birth of her daughter.

Soon after Smith's death, pop star Britney Spears faced her own issues -- caught often by cameras in unflattering situations, smacked⁵ down by unwanted publicity⁶. She checked into rehab, got into trouble with police and became entangled⁷ in a custody⁸ battled over her two sons. In spite of her personal problems, Spears still put out a comeback album, "Blackout".

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton got more attention than she wanted when a judge sentenced her to 45 days in jail for violating probation⁹ on a drunk driving charge and driving on a suspended license¹⁰. "I'm definitely scared, but I'm ready to face my sentence," she said. 

That sentence initially¹¹ was reduced to 23 days. But when jailers sprung Hilton after just three days for unspecified medical reasons and placed her under more comfortable house arrest, the court did not go along. Back to jail she went and served a 23-day sentence.

Like Hilton, actress Lindsay Lohan had legal problems and trouble dodging¹² celebrity-hounding paparazzi. Police arrested her -- twice -- on drunk driving charges, and she also faced charges for cocaine¹³ possession. Her alcohol abuse and stints¹⁴ in rehab made for tabloid¹⁵ headlines.

In November, the entertainment industry suffered a blow that will likely last into 2008. Writers went on strike for the first time in nearly 20 years. Without a settlement, reruns are already beginning to dominate American TV.

Even the music industry may be feeling the effects of the writers' strike. Without late night talk show hosts' promotion¹⁶ of new albums and talent, already-low music sales are bound to worsen. USA Today reports that CD sales plummeted¹⁷ 14 percent from last year. It says digital music sales have doubled, but combined music sales are still substantially low.

Despite this, new albums are still captivating audiences. At the American Music Awards this year, Justin Timberlake won for Best Male Pop/Rock Artist and his album Futuresex/Lovesounds was awarded best album under Soul, Rhythm and Blues¹⁸.

Songstress Fergie won for Best Female Pop/Rock Artist. The entertainment channel MTV reports that iTunes users downloaded her song, "Big Girls Don't Cry" more than any other this year.

On the big screen, the top grossing American film this year is "Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End." It is approaching a billion dollars in ticket sales worldwide. The latest boy wizard tale, "Harry¹⁹ Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," has made nearly as much.

 

Film critics have different favorites. The Los Angeles Film Critics voted "There Will be Blood," a film roughly based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel "Oil!," as the best film of the year, while the New York Film Critics Circle named the Coen brother's crime thriller²⁰, "No Country for Old Men" the top film. It is based on Cormac McCarthy's novel by the same name.

The British historical film "Atonement" is another adaptation from a novel that is critically acclaimed²¹. It has won nominations²² for seven Golden Globe awards, including best dramatic motion picture. The film is adapted from Ian McEwan's novel by the same name.

1 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

5 smacked   

拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。

6 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

7 entangled   

adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bird had become entangled in the wire netting. 那只小鸟被铁丝网缠住了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

9 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

10 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

11 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

12 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

13 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

14 stints   

n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 )；定量；限额；慷慨地做某事

参考例句：

• He stints himself in [of] sleep. 他节制睡眠。 来自辞典例句
• She never stints herself of money to buy books for her children. 她从不吝惜掏钱让子女们买书。 来自互联网

15 tabloid   

adj.轰动性的，庸俗的；n.小报，文摘

参考例句：

• He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism.他口头对小报新闻进行了抨击。
• He believes that the tabloid press has behaved disgracefully.他认为小报媒体的行为不太光彩。

16 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

17 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

19 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

20 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

21 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

22 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句