SAG lifts 'The King's Speech' Oscar odds
"The King's Speech" actor Geoffrey Rush joked that the SAG awards should be called the "Uplift" awards because of the boost it gave his movie just four weeks the Academy Awards.
The awards season rivalry between "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network" took a sharp turn Sunday night toward the film about a stuttering British monarch and away from the story of Facebook's founder.
"The Social Network" cast left the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards empty-handed, while Colin Firth won the best actor trophy for his portrayal of Britain's King George VI in "The King's Speech."
"The King's Speech" cast was also chosen as the best movie ensemble, positioning it as the front-runner for the best picture Oscar.
"The Social Network" was the big winner at the Golden Globes, which are voted by a few dozen members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Hollywood's actors choose the SAG winners.
Natalie Portman's front-runner status for the best actress Oscar was bolstered when she was given the SAG best actress award for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan." Portman carried home the Golden Globe two weeks ago.
Christian Bale's Oscar odds jumped Sunday when his name was called as winner of the SAG award for best male supporting actor in a film. Bale won the Golden Globe earlier this month for his role as a drug-addicted boxing trainer in "The Fighter."
Early on in the televised ceremony, the SAG award for best female supporting actor in a film went to Melissa Leo for "The Fighter." Leo also won the Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar.
"I'm much better when I have my words written for me," Leo said as she tried to hold back tears. When she was finally able to control her emotions, she said "This has been an extraordinary season for me."
The Oscar nominations announced last Tuesday closely track the comparable SAG actor categories, which also proved predictive in last year's competition.
The 15 SAG categories -- the only industry honors that solely recognize performers -- include both television and film actors. The two-hour show in Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles aired on TNT and TBS. Both TNT and TBS are units of Time Warner, the parent company of CNN.
Al Pacino and Claire Danes continued their domination of the past year's actor awards for TV movie roles by winning their respective categories Sunday night.
Pacino, who portrayed Dr. Jack Kevorkian in HBO's "You Don't Know Jack," has now won the Emmy, Golden Globe and the SAG award for best actor in a TV movie or miniseries.
Danes has the same three actress trophies for work in HBO's "Temple Grandin."
The elderly yet energetic and busy actress Betty White won best female actor in a TV comedy series.
"You didn't applaud when I turned 40," the 89-year-old White told the audience. It was the first SAG award of her career and "the biggest surprise I ever had in this business," White said.
NBC's "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin carried home the award for best male actor in a TV comedy series.
The cast of "Modern Family" reprised their Emmy win by capturing the SAG trophy for best TV comedy ensemble.
HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" won two actor trophies, including for best ensemble and best male actor TV drama. The show won the comparable Golden Globes just two weeks ago.
"I lost my speech, I had it written on the other paper," best actor Steve Buscemi said during his second walk to the stage.
The SAG award for best female actor in a TV drama series went to Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife."
The Screen Actors Guild's 47th Life Achievement Award was given to Ernest Borgnine in a tribute presented by comedian Tim Conway.
Source:CNN
Charlie Sheen checks into rehab
Actor Charlie Sheen voluntarily entered an undisclosed rehabilitation center for treatment Friday, his representative said.
"He is most grateful to all who have expressed their concern," Sheen representative Stan Rosenfield said.
The announcement came a day after Sheen was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where Rosenfield said he was treated for severe pain related to a hernia. He checked out of the Los Angeles hospital Thursday night, he said.
"Charlie has had a hernia condition for some time," Rosenfield said. "I was told by the person who made the 911 call that it was hernia-related."
Sheen's hit CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men" has been placed on "production hiatus," CBS and Warner Bros. Television said Friday.
"We are profoundly concerned for his health and well-being, and support his decision," their joint statement said.
Porn actress Kacey Jordan, who was at Sheen's house the night before his trip to the hospital, issued a statement through her representative Friday.
She is "very happy that Charlie decided to get some help, it was clear to me if he didn't he would have died," Jordan's statement said. "He is such a talented actor, and has his beautiful children to think about."
It was the second emergency trip to a hospital for Sheen in three months.
He spent several hours in a New York hospital in October after police responded to an early morning call about "an emotionally disturbed person" at the Plaza Hotel, a law enforcement source said at the time. Sheen's representative blamed an "adverse allergic reaction" to a medication.
Sheen, the son of actor Martin Sheen, spent at least a month last year at a Malibu, California, rehab center, but it was never disclosed what he was treated for there.
He was arrested in December 2009 after his wife, Brooke Mueller, told Aspen, Colorado, police that he threatened her with a knife at their holiday home.
A Colorado judge allowed the actor to count his time at Promises of Malibu toward a 30-day jail sentence after he entered a guilty plea in August in that case. The plea deal reduced the charges from felony domestic violence to a misdemeanor third-degree assault count.
Source:CNN
Dominant Djokovic powers to Australian Open win
Third seed Novak Djokovic produced a superb display to beat Andy Murray in straight sets to claim the second Australian Open title of his career.
Djokovic, the Melbourne winner in 2008, secured his second grand slam victory with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 success under the floodlights at the Rod Laver arena.
The 23-year-old Serb was always in control against fifth seed Murray, who has now lost three grand slam finals in straight sets, including the last two at Melbourne Park.
The two players came into the final in brilliant form, with Djokovic having beaten defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals and Murray coming back from a set down to see off David Ferrer -- who had beaten world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
And, unusually on the men's ATP Tour, the pair had not faced each other for two years, meaning neither player had a recent psychological edge over their opponent.
This was also the first major final without Federer of Nadal in three years and it began cagily, with both players holding their serve until the 10th game.
But Murray then served a double fault and netted a forehand before eventually losing the set in just under an hour.
Djokovic carried on that momentum into the second set, making it seven games in a row to go 5-0 ahead, before eventually winning it in some style.
Both players tired in the third set, exchanging four breaks before Murray's serve let him down again and Djokovic closed the match out in two hours and 39 minutes.
In his on-court post-match interview, Djokovic paid tribute to his opponent: "I want to congratulate Andy for a great two weeks and he has played finals here in the last two years now.
"We've known each other for such a long time and it was really difficult to play against him tonight. It's a tough one but hopefully he will have another chance to win a grand slam trophy, I am sure with his talent he will."
Djokovic continued: "I dedicate this title to my family back home because it has been a tough period for our people in Serbia.
"But we are trying every single day to present our country in the best possible way, so this is for my country."
Murray, who was attempting to become the first British grand slam winner in 75 years, said: "I'll try to keep it together this year. Hopefully, I will come back and have more chances in the future."
Celtics stronger from Finals loss, Lakers complacent after winning
The Boston Celtics staggered out of the Staples Center seven months ago, six-and-a-half minutes short of a championship, and nothing that happened Sunday afternoon could ease the sting of defeat. The Celtics' 109-96 win over the Lakers did not mean much, but it revealed plenty about the vastly different ways these two teams responded to that unforgettable night last June. The Celtics were steeled, the Lakers were softened, and the first half of this season has provided a mound of evidence. Sunday's game was simply the latest and most compelling exhibit.
The only trouble with winning championships is the complacency that can result. The only benefit to losing them is the urgency that can arise. The Celtics approached this season as if they were wronged, while the Lakers approached it as if they were entitled. With teams this talented, the difference is sometimes hard to detect, since both can rack up 50 victories at half-speed. But it becomes glaring when they are matched up with elite opponents, like each other.
The Celtics have now beaten the Lakers, Spurs, Bulls, Magic and Heat twice. The Lakers' best win was probably over the Bulls at home in November when Carlos Boozer was injured. They have dropped their first meetings with the Celtics, Spurs, Mavericks and Heat. "It's not the playoffs yet," said Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. "We're still playing regular season games. We'll get there in time."
It is almost February and the Lakers are still warming up. The Celtics were ready on Opening Night, when they pounded the Heat, a message from one Big Three to another. But the message also should have been heard out west. The Celtics might have been disturbed by the Heat's acquisitions, but more so by the Game 7 loss in L.A., when they blew a fourth-quarter lead and a second title in three years.
In Game 7, the Lakers shot an abysmal 32.5 percent, the byproduct of weary legs as much as frayed nerves. But they beat the Celtics the way the Celtics beat everybody else, with backboard domination and second-chance points. The Lakers won the rebounding margin by 13. On Sunday, in the first meeting since, the Celtics seemed to have rediscovered their monopoly on toughness. This time, they were the ones who won the rebounding margin by 13. It looked more like 2008, when the Celtics bullied the Lakers in the Finals, than 2010. These are not the Finals, of course, so there is a danger in drawing too many conclusions. But it's clear from the first three months of the season that the Celtics are better than they were last spring and the Lakers are worse. "It's another game but it's definitely an emotional game since we lost Game 7 here," said Paul Pierce. "When you win a game here now it's not for the championship. But it gets our juices going. It's big knowing we can come into this building and get a win."
Pierce shot 5-of-15 in Game 7 and watched the man who guarded him, Ron Artest, become an improbable hero. He watched Artest go 1-of-10 on Sunday and torched him, among others, for 32 points. But the major difference between the Celtics and the Lakers was Pierce's supporting cast compared to Kobe Bryant's. Two nights ago, Bryant scored 38 points in a dreadful home loss to the Kings. Against the Celtics, he scored 41, but ball movement stalled late in the second half and the Lakers abandoned their formidable front line. The Celtics, meanwhile, shot 60 percent and Jackson joked that the only player the Lakers defended was Shaquille O'Neal. In his first trip to L.A. with the Celtics, O'Neal drew boos and then laughs, with zero points and five fouls. But he still left with the prize.
"Guys are just upset probably," Bryant said. "They should be. We're not playing very well against these top teams. We need to elevate our level and we need to get better if we're to defend our throne." Bryant has issued variations of the same challenge for more than a month and they have not been heeded. Now the Lakers schedule intensifies, with San Antonio coming to Staples on Thursday, followed by a seven-game trip in which they will visit the Knicks, Magic and Celtics. "We want to see each other again," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and he was not referring to the rematch in 11 days. Another Lakers-Celtics Finals reunion -- the third in four years -- would complete a captivating trilogy.
The Celtics are on track to hold up their end of the deal. The Lakers are not.
Source:SI.com
Suu Kyi to Davos: Myanmar must reconnect with world
Recently freed political activist Aung San Suu Kyi has urged the world's political and business elite not to forget the people of Myanmar as they rebuild the global economy.
In a recorded message played Friday to delegates at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Suu-Kyi said she had followed the world's response to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression on her radio despite being under house arrest.
"While the challenges were immense, the response was both swift and strong," she said. "Of course, much still remains to be done. Our global interdependence has compelled and resulted in increased cooperation."
But with the largest country in Southeast Asia teetering on the brink of economic collapse after years of stagnation and mismanagement by the ruling military junta, the vast majority of its 55 million people live in extreme poverty.
It has also suffered from years of isolation brought about by U.S.-led sanctions -- in place since 1997 -- against the regime.
Now Suu Kyi says there is a growing desire within Myanmar to reconnect with the rest of the world.
"We yearn to be a part of the global community: not only to be economically and socially connected, but also to achieve the domestic political stability and national reconciliation that would enable us to fully address the needs of our people," she said.
The daughter of General Aung San, a hero of Burmese independence, Suu Kyi has repeatedly challenged Myanmar's regime over the years. For her efforts, she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
She was released from house arrest on November 13, after spending most of the past 20 years under house arrest or in prison. Her release came after national elections which her National League for Democracy party boycotted, describing them as a sham.
With millions of young people in particular protesting against corruption and mismanagement in authoritarian regimes across North Africa and the Mideast, Suu Kyi alluded to a similar thirst for opportunity among young Burmese.
"Our government annually spend about 40 percent of our GDP on the military and barely two percent on health and education combined," she said.
"The young people of Burma need the kind of education that has enabled Young Global Leaders, some of whom are present at this gathering, to excel so early in their careers. We need investments in technology and infrastructure.
"We need to counter and eventually eradicate widespread poverty by offering opportunities that will allow the entrepreneurial spirit of our people to be gainfully harnessed through micro lending programs," she continued.
But she also cautioned that change was only possible through unity and cooperation rather than conflict.
"I believe that as necessary steps towards integration within the global community Burma must achieve national reconciliation, political stability, and economic growth grounded in human resources development," she said.
"Without the first two which are essential for the basic requirements of good governance such as transparency, accountability, credibility and integrity, social and economic development will remain a mere pipe dream.
"I would like to request those who have invested or who are thinking of investing in Burma to put a premium on respect for the law, on environmental and social factors, on the rights of workers, on job creation and on the promotion of technological skills."
Source:CNN
Ford's stock plunges despite biggest profit since '99
Ford Motor posted its highest annual income in more than a decade Friday, although fourth-quarter earnings disappointed investors.
The problem for Ford was more one of expectations than execution, as Ford's results included a lot of good news, but also some increased costs, such as the price of raw materials as well as spending on engineering and marketing, that caught Wall Street analysts by surprise.
As a result of its first earnings miss in two years, Ford (F, Fortune 500) shares fell more than 12% in midday trading. Still, even with that sell-off, shares are up more than 40% over the course of the past 12 months.
Despite the earnings miss, full-year profits for 2010 climbed to $6.6 billion from $2.7 billion in 2009, the best since 1999.
But the company, which recaptured its position as the No. 2 automaker in terms of U.S. sales in 2010, posted a fourth-quarter operating profit of $1.2 billion, or 30 cents a share, excluding special items. That was down from 43 cents a share on that basis a year earlier.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast earnings of 48 cents a share excluding special items. The result was below even the most conservative forecast of a 36 cents a share profit.
At least part of the fourth-quarter disappointment came from a small loss in its European unit, compared with a profit there a year earlier. Ford had previously said it expected to be profitable in Europe in the quarter.
But Lewis Booth, Ford's chief financial officer, said a bigger part of the problem was that the company failed to sufficiently communicate to Wall Street the impact of higher expenses.
"We recognized we missed," he said during the conference call to discuss results with analysts and reporters. "We'll have to continue to do a better job communicating what the outlook is."
CEO Alan Mulally said the company was pleased with full-year results.
"Our 2010 results exceeded our expectations, accelerating our transition from fixing the business fundamentals to delivering profitable growth for all," he said in the company's statement.
Mulally and Booth both said they expect the company will report better results in 2011 than it did in 2010, but they wouldn't give any details about how much better. Mulally declined to say whether current forecasts -- for a 29% improvement in first quarter earnings and a 15% increase in full-year earnings, were realistic.
For the most part, analysts continued to see more positives than problems at Ford.
"I don't think anyone doubts your ability to make more money in 2011," said Adam Jonas, auto analyst with Morgan Stanley, to Booth during the conference call.
In a note Friday, Jonas reiterated that he expects Ford's earnings to jump by more than 50% in 2011 -- well above consensus estimates.
Efraim Levy, auto equity analyst with Standard & Poor's, said it is a significant milestone that Ford's cash flow and debt repayments during the quarter left it with more cash on hand than total debt for the first time since early 2008.
"It's a good sign when you have cash available to deploy on product development and overseas expansion, rather than having to scramble for cash," he told CNNMoney. He also wasn't too worried about Ford missing earnings targets.
"Sometimes after a long string of success, the analysts get a little too enthusiastic," he said. "The fundamental story I see remains positive. Forget the earnings -- look at the trend."
Rank-and-file auto workers will benefit from Ford's strong results as well, as the company announced it would pay profit-sharing bonuses averaging about $5,000 to 40,600 members of the United Auto Workers at its U.S. plants. That's well above the $450 average they received a year ago.
Despite the disappointing bottom line, Ford's quarterly sales of $32.5 billion topped forecasts of $30.4 billion, even though they fell from the $34.8 billion in sales a year earlier.
For the year revenue rose to $120.9 billion, up $4.6 billion from 2009, even though the company sold off its Volvo brand during the course of the year. Excluding Volvo sales, revenue rose $17 billion, or 15%.
Ford (F, Fortune 500) was the only U.S. automaker that did not need a federal bailout or a trip through bankruptcy court in 2009. Its rivals -- General Motors (GM) and Chrysler Group, have also enjoyed a turnaround, but neither are making the gains with U.S. buyers that Ford has.
Ford also benefited from the recall troubles at Toyota Motor (TM) in 2010, which caused the Japanese automaker to lose market share for the first time since 1999, and drop out of the No. 2 sales position in U.S. sales.
EU considering overhaul of 440 billion euro rescue fund
Senior European leaders are negotiating an overhaul of the euro zone's 440 billion-euro ($599.1 billion) rescue fund in exchange for new austerity measures and closer surveillance on struggling states, a newspaper report said on Monday.
The Financial Times, citing unnamed government sources involved in the talks, said leaders are considering "enhanced surveillance" of Spain and Portugal rather than assistance, which would give a European Union stamp of approval on proposed reforms.
"The EU should not try to impose a program on any country," Olli Rehn, the EU's economic and monetary affairs commissioner, told the FT in an interview.
"Spain is taking very bold and profound measures."
No decisions are likely at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Friday, the newspaper said.
Euro zone sources told Reuters on Friday that the EU was also considering extending bailout loans to Greece and Ireland to 30 years in a bid to draw a line under the bloc's debt crisis.
John Lipsky, the IMF's first deputy managing director, told the newspaper the cases of Greece and Ireland were extremely difficult, adding that loans to both countries "had no guarantee of success.
"There is no getting around that. That is why the measures were implemented," he said.
He also said it is difficult to say whether the EU and IMF loans would work because "there are so many variables."
"The emphasis is on the authorities' efforts to put their economic and financial houses in order in a difficult situation."
Gold rally biggest in 8 weeks as Egypt army rolls
Gold posted its biggest gains in eight weeks on Friday, gaining nearly 2 percent as the prospect of unrest in Egypt spreading across the Middle East fueled a rush of safe-haven buying in the financial markets.
The nearly $40-an-ounce jump in active trading revived investor interest in bullion, which is still set for its first monthly decline in half a year after investors fled the market on signs that the Euro zone debt crisis was receding and the U.S. economy was on a firmer recovery footing.
After several days of unprecedented protests, the sight of armored cars in the streets of Cairo on Friday finally got the attention of global markets. Oil spiked by more than 4 percent, the dollar rose sharply and Treasuries gained as investors feared the political instability could spread.
"Confusion breeds contempt for all investments other than gold. Clearly, money is flowing to gold as the ultimate safe haven ... because nobody knows how this situation is going to resolve itself," said Dennis Gartman, publisher of the Gartman Letter, a daily investment commentary.
Gartman, a long-time gold bull who liquidated some of his position this month, said he did not expect Egypt's unrest to be over anytime soon and that gold could further benefit from the possibility of chaos spreading to other countries in the region.
Spot gold rose 2 percent to $1,338.39 an ounce by 2:43 p.m. EST, the largest one-day gain since early December. That reversed Thursday's 2.6 percent slump as a run of better-than-expected economic data fueled concern over higher interest rates that could end gold's long bull run.
Earlier in the session, gold touched a four-month low of $1,308.00 an ounce.
U.S. gold futures for February delivery settled up $22.3 at $1,340.70 an ounce, with total volume topping 300,000 lots for a second day running, the highest since November.
Spot silver rose 3.5 percent to $27.82 an ounce.
Despite Friday's rally, gold notched a four-week losing streak, its longest consecutive weekly decline in a year.
After the toppling of Tunisia's president earlier this month, financial markets are even more on edge over growing instability in the Middle East as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attempts to quell street fighting and mass protests demanding an end to his 30-year rule.
"The market is a little sensitive when people take to the streets as it reminds them of the riots in Greece a year ago, and that did lead to a flight into the safety of U.S. Treasuries," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo/Mitsubishi UFJ in New York.
The dollar index rose 0.5 percent and U.S. Treasuries climbed. Stocks fell around the world while many other key commodities gained, led by oil which jumped to nearly $100 a barrel in London.
INVESTOR EXODUS
Gold initially weakened after data showed the U.S. economy gathered speed in the fourth quarter with the biggest gain in consumer spending in more than four years.
Latest trade data by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) showed that open interest, a gauge of market liquidity, sank 14 percent to just above 500,000 lots as speculators cut their net longs or bullish positions for a third week.
Open interest fell sharply after hedge fund SHK Asset Management liquidated a U.S. gold futures position this week valued at over $850 million, more than 10 percent of the main U.S. futures market, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Investment demand for gold has been soft this year, with holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, down another 3 tonnes on Thursday.
Holdings of the world's largest silver-backed ETF, the iShares Silver Trust, also fell on Thursday.
Some analysts said the confluence of selling from gold and silver ETFs and futures showed the characteristics of capitulation, and prices should rebound after a large number of investors exited their bullish positions.
Gartman said liquidation pressure in gold had run its course after spot prices bounced off key support near their 150-day average in overnight trade.
Platinum climbed 0.7 percent to $1,793.50 an ounce and palladium gained 1.1 percent to $810.72.
Source:Reuters
United squeeze past Saints, Chelsea draw
Manchester United required a second-half rally to edge past third-tier side Southampton 2-1 in the fourth round of the FA Cup yesterday, and Salomon Kalou's late equaliser rescued defending champions Chelsea in a 1-1 draw at Everton.
United were 1-0 down at half-time at St Mary's Stadium, but the 11-time winners and Premier League leaders avoided an upset thanks to goals by strikers Michael Owen and Javier Hernandez in the space of 10 minutes after the break.
Everton dominated for long spells against Chelsea and took the lead when striker Louis Saha headed home a corner by Leighton Baines in the 62nd.
Chelsea equalised through substitute Kalou, who finished off a flowing counter-attack in the 75th with a shot that squirmed into the far corner to earn his team a replay.
Fifth-tier side Crawley Town missed two penalties but still became the first non-league club to qualify for the competition's fifth round since 1994 thanks to a 1-0 victory at 10-man Torquay, while there were wins for Premier League teams Aston Villa and Birmingham.
United fielded a second-string side against Southampton and were blown away in the first half on the south coast.
The Saints should have been ahead well before Richard Chaplow pounced on United centre-back Jonny Evans' mistake in the 45th to surge into the area and smash a right-foot shot high into the net at the near post, past debutant goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard.
United manager Alex Ferguson responded by throwing on wingers Ryan Giggs and Nani for the second half, and the changes had the desired effect.
Owen, who hit the post in the first half with a misplaced cross, reacted quickest to Gabriel Obertan's deflected cross to head home from eight yards in the 65th minute.
Hernandez completed the turnaround by running onto Ryan Giggs' sublime through-ball and poking his finish in off the post.
United were 2-0 down in their Premier League match at Blackpool on Tuesday before bouncing back to win 3-2 and maintain the team's unbeaten record in the campaign.
Chelsea were arguably even more fortunate than United, with Everton on top for the majority of the match at Goodison Park.
Chelsea came close to snatching a win when Brazil midfielder Ramires hit the post in the 86th, while substitute Everton striker Jermaine Beckford forced an acrobatic save out of Petr Cech in the final minute.
Source:AP
Bolt to run 100m in Rome
Golden Gala organisers announced yesterday that world record-holder Usain Bolt will run the 100 metres at the meet in Rome on May 26.
It will mark Bolt's first Diamond League meet of the season, with the Jamaican also committed to run the 200 in June at the Bislett Games in Oslo.
"I know the Stadio Olimpico has a very fast track," Bolt said in a statement. "A lot of the best sprinters in the world have achieved great times there over the last 10 years and I hope to add my name to the list, hopefully at the top."
American sprinter Tyson Gay set the Golden Gala record of 9.77 seconds in 2009, while Bolt's record of 9.58 came later that year at the World Championships in Berlin.
Bolt missed the end of last year's outdoor track season due to back and Achilles' tendon problems, but is hoping to defend his 100 and 200 world titles at this year's worlds in Daegu, South Korea, in August.
"I'm completely healthy again after last season's injury and my training is proceeding very well," he said. "I'm confident that I'll be able to achieve my best form at the right moment, in the summer."
Rome officials also announced at a news conference that 800-metre world record-holder David Rudisha will be at the Golden Gala, which is held annually at the 80,000-seat Stadio Olimpico.
The stadium is often half empty for the meet, but organisers are hoping more fans show up this year.
"It will be my first time in Italy and I can't wait to experience the reaction of the fans in Rome," Bolt said.
Source: JA. Observer