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But thanks to a little bit of Stones in the soundtrack, it picks up towards the end to become a passably-entertaining addition to that great long line of instantly-forgettable festive fluff. While Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti) is loving and giving, big brother Fred (Vince Vaughn) spends his time repossessing gifts, lying and generally being a right old Scrooge. But when jail beckons, brother Nicholas - always a saint - bails him out on the condition he comes to the North Pole to learn to be a nice chap. There is some ghastly ‘believe in yourself' type-nonsense towards the end; and there is even a cynical, black orphan thrown into the mix to tug at the heart strings; but you'd have to be as miserable as Fred not to get a little bit drawn into the let's-save-Christmas drama of the finale. It's all driven by the film's star turn, a terrific Kevin Spacey as a mean-and-nasty accountant-type intent on shutting Santa down.
Beating an addiction to meth
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Mary J. Blige Feels Wino's Pain
The RnB superstar is the latest in a string of celebrities to speak out in support of troubled singer. Blige - who once upon a time battled a drug addiction – claims that it is difficult for stars like the Rehab singer to battle their personal demons in the public eye. "They're human beings, and they're young, in a business that doesn't give a hoot about you" claims the RnB star "It's just sad. I hate to see any of these females go through it. She added: "I was young, and I did dumb stuff - I was doing worse than that." Do you think Amy Winehouse would have a better chance of conquering her drug demons away from the cameras? Be sure to leave your thoughts below! .
Study examines substance abuse prevalence among teens receiving ...
Approximately 15 percent of teens receiving routine outpatient medical care in a New England primary care network had positive results on a substance abuse screening test, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. .
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