Despite US flop, Mel Gibson movie to get a big push in Oz. 

Launched at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The Beaver won plaudits from many critics for Mel Gibson’s moving portrait of a depressed guy who regains his will to live with the unlikely help of a hand puppet.

Hoping that would be the springboard to box office success, Summit Entertainment opened the movie directed by Jodie Foster in the US and it bombed, winding up with less than $US1 million.

Yet the film is getting a substantial push in Australia, debuting on August 4 on 40-50 screens. A cynic may suggest that’s because Icon Film Distribution is owned by Gibson and his longtime partner in Icon Entertainment, Bruce Davey, who’s based in Sydney and is Icon’s chairman.

Cadel Evans (Green) leads his BMC team in the ITT (AAP)

It may be early days, but so far, there is everything to suggest Cadel Evans is ready, and some of his rivals are not, writes Anthony Tan from Les Essarts.

Two stages down, and we’ve already seen so much.

On Saturday’s first stage, Alberto Contador, in a scene reminiscent of the windswept stage to La Grande-Motte at the 2009 Tour de France, was caught out again, as 78 riders sped away from the Tour favourite, some perhaps relishing his misfortune.

The Spaniard, who lost 1:17 to stage winner Philippe Gilbert by day’s end, could not have avoided the fall, caused by an Astana rider crashing into a roadside spectator. But with spills beforehand and multiple traffic islands and speed bumps on the road to Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers, should Bertie’s troops not have been more attentive and proactive, and moved their man inside the first 30-50 riders?

Rabobank are one of the teams who will be pleased with their position (AAP)

Although a stage win and the yellow jersey would have been nice, sitting at one second down, and without the pressure of having the leader’s jersey, was the perfect outcome for Cadel Evans in the team time trial.

With the required jersey presentation and post stage interviews, taking yellow means a 45-plus minute delay getting back to the team bus and off to the hotel, which is critical recovery time.

Cadel has managed to avoid these time demands and the corresponding pressure while gaining on all his rivals, including a significant 24 seconds on Contador on top of the 17 seconds he gained on stage one.

He could, however, take yellow on stage four to the Mur de Bretagne. As this could come with more time gains on the other general classification contenders the pros out weigh the cons.

Saxo Bank-Sungard boss Bjarne Riis and Alberto Contador (AAP)

How defending champion Alberto Contador shrugs off controversy and appears to carry none of the burden that surrounds him is beyond Anthony Tan’s comprehension. The Spaniard and his Saxo Bank-Sungard team must be made of Teflon, he figures.

How defending champion Alberto Contador shrugs off controversy and appears to carry none of the burden that surrounds him is beyond Anthony Tan’s comprehension. The Spaniard and his Saxo Bank-Sungard team must be made of Teflon, he figures.

It will make the sport a laughingstock. When the world’s most famous English-speaking cycling commentator says the sport will be further reduced to something resembling the Cirque du Soleil, should Alberto Contador win this year’s race and later be stripped of the title, you know the situation’s rather serious.

The buzz within the Tour de France salle de presse is still there, albeit not as fervent, but what is abundantly clear is that I am not the only one who has come to the Vendée with a heavy heart.

The Australian sharemarket rose 7.7% over the past 12 months, less than the 9.5% in 2009/10, but is expected to improve.

Despite the Australian dollar being one of the best performing currencies against the greenback, it is expected to fall but that will drive further investment into the Australian economy.

And with so much talk about Australia having one of the highest interest rates in the industrialised world, the fact is, that the official cash rate only rose once in the past 12 months, but the RBA is still predicted to bump up rates a few more times by this time next year.