SIGOURNEY Weaver was an unknown 28-year-old stage actress when she landed the role of Ripley in director Ridley Scott’s now classic sci-fi horror movie Alien. Ripley, the sole survivor of an attack by an alien who infiltrates a space ship, turned out to be one of the most powerful and well-loved female protagonists in science fiction, celebrated by fans as a tough, complex heroine. But she was originally written as a man. “I thought it was a small movie,” Weaver told Reuters ahead of the 40th anniversary of the film’s release. “It had a tiny cast and a brilliant young director. I liked the part ... I didn’t think I was going to play Henry V, but I thought I can play Ripley.” The movie follows the crew of the space craft Nostromo who end up fighting for their lives after an alien takes over their ship. “I think the original script was all men. When they came to write the new script, they did talk about who should be the survivor. … [Read more...] about Sigourney Weaver marks Alien anniversary
2010 nissan 370z 40th anniversary edition
Nissan board nominees not broaching merger issue: member
YOKOHAMA: Nissan Motor Co is not considering the possibility of a merger with top shareholder Renault at the moment, and none of the nominees to the Japanese automaker's board are pressing to make it an issue now, an external director said on Thursday.As Nissan ponders its future without former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who orchestrated its financial rescue two decades ago, French partner Renault SA has been quietly maneuvering for merger talks, sources at both automakers have previously told Reuters.France's government has also weighed in, saying on Wednesday that the status quo was weakening the alliance and could not continue.But given Nissan's current focus on improving corporate governance and recovering from a run of poor results, Keiko Ihara, who has been overseeing efforts to overhaul governance, told Reuters in an interview that the issue of a merger was not on the table at the moment."We don't have time to feel any of the pressure which appears to be coming externally," she … [Read more...] about Nissan board nominees not broaching merger issue: member
On the radar: Nissan stays cool on lidar tech, siding with Tesla
YOKOHAMA: Nissan Motor Co Ltd said on Thursday it would, for now, stick to self-driving technology which uses radar sensors and cameras, avoiding lidar or light-based sensors because of their high cost and limited capabilities.The Japanese automaker unveiled updated self-driving technology a month after Tesla Inc's Chief Executive Elon Musk called lidar "a fool's errand", berating the technology for being expensive and unnecessary.Nissan, which wants to have its self-driving cars on city streets by 2020, has long shunned lidar, a relatively new technology for automobiles which has recently been the subject of an influx in investment by many of its rivals."At the moment, lidar lacks the capabilities to exceed the capabilities of the latest technology in radar and cameras," Tetsuya Iijima, general manager of advanced technology development for automated driving, told reporters at Nissan's headquarters."It would be fantastic if lidar technology was at the level that we could use it in our … [Read more...] about On the radar: Nissan stays cool on lidar tech, siding with Tesla
Nissan faces long, rocky road to cut US discounts, rental sales
DETROIT/TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co Ltd said on Tuesday it had hit "rock bottom" with a 45per cent drop in annual operating profit. The automaker's troubles in the United States, including a failure to deliver on a slew of promises to dealers, are a major reason why.Nissan's U.S. operations, once a big contributor to its international sales and profit, are now emblematic of its global challenges. Under ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's U.S. operations gunned for ambitious sales goals by pitting dealers against each other in a battle for sales bonuses, and cranking up sales to fleets, dealers said.Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa said U.S. profit margins had hit a low level of between 1per cent and 2per cent.He acknowledged Nissan had failed to honor its promises and aimed to bring its fleet sales down to 15per cent to 17per cent of total sales by around 2022 - from a high of around 40per cent in the first quarter. Bulk sales to rental-car fleets … [Read more...] about Nissan faces long, rocky road to cut US discounts, rental sales
Nissan flags weakest profit in 11 years as Ghosn woes weigh
YOKOHAMA: Nissan Motor Co forecast a 28per cent drop in its annual operating profit, setting it up for the weakest earnings in 11 years and underscoring its struggle to turn the page after the ouster of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn.The lacklustre performance at Japan's No.2 automaker, which has been hit hard by Ghosn's arrest last year, adds to pressure on CEO Hiroto Saikawa as he tries to put aside the scandal and focus on overhauling corporate governance and giving Nissan a more equal footing with alliance partner Renault.Nissan forecast operating profit of 230 billion yen (US$2.10 billion) for the year to March 2020, versus 318 billion yen in the year just ended. The forecast compared to a 457.7 billion yen average of 23 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv.Earlier in the day, Kyodo news reported that Tokyo prosecutors had filed a request to revise their indictment against Ghosn, providing more details on alleged cash transfers involving the former executive and a Saudi … [Read more...] about Nissan flags weakest profit in 11 years as Ghosn woes weigh