FEBRUARY  2008

 OXYGEN

HOLLYWOOD SMOKING HURTS CHILDREN

It's official: US films are one of the most effective ways of recruiting young smokers. Studies funded by the US National Cancer Institute and the German Ministry of Public Health followed elementary school students for two years and found that, after controlling for other influences, the more smoking they see on screen, the more likely they are to try smoking. While teens get about half their onscreen tobacco impressions from G and PG rated films, younger children receive 80 per cent of their exposure from youth-rated films. Researchers followed more than 2,500 German students aged 10-16 years who had never smoked before the study. Teens with the highest exposure to Hollywood films with tobacco were twice as likely to become smokers as those with the lowest exposure. German teens whose parents don't smoke were more strongly influenced than those whose parents smoke.

BIG BEN

Ben Affleck is helping Oprah Winfrey prompt Americans to stop smoking by talking about the reasons behind his decision to quit after 20 years. The Hollywood star appeared on Winfrey's show, which was aimed at those struggling to give up nicotine. Affleck said: "I finally decided to quit smoking when I was gonna have a child. That was the thing that sort of put it over the top for me." Affleck said he used hypnosis to kick his habit after his best mate Matt Damon urged him to try the method that helped him quit.

GOLDEN GLOBES

The only winners at this year's Golden Globes not to feature smoking were Ratatouille, Best Animated Feature, and Julian Schnabel, Best Director for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  The winners of Best Motion Picture, Atonement, Best Actress, Julie Christie in Away From Her,  and Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will be Blood, all feature smoking scenes. Sweeney Todd,  which took out Best Picture Musical or Comdey and Best Actor in a Musical or Comdey with Johnny Depp's peformance also starred smoking. Australia's own Cate Blanchett lit up on screen for her role in I'm Not There,  which won her the Best Supporting Actress award.

DELTA'S DEAL

Brian McFadden has been given an ultimatum: quit smoking or you won't marry Delta. Delta Goodrem's father Denis set the Westlife singer straight. McFadden, 27, said he is so addicted to nicotine he's not planning on getting married until 2009. He told UK's Hello! magazine: "He gave me the 'dad speech' and said I could wed Delta but there was a condition - 'You can't marry her unless you stop smoking. I said I would but not for a while. I'll have to push back the wedding until I do it!"

THE LOW-DOWN ON LINDSAY LOHAN

Celebrity web site Bricks and Stones is running photos of Lindsay Lohan partying about town with her Ariva. Ariva is a quit-smoking tobacco lozenge available in wintergreen and java flavours. The website says Arriva paid Lohan a sum in the mid-five figures to promote the product. Ariva reps have denied it is paying Lohan, possibly because of all the recent paparazzi pics of her smoking.

MARKET RESEARCH

Research firm Feedback Plus has been caught targeting cashed-strapped students to smoke up to 200 cigarettes a week and get paid for it. In November, the Northmead-based company announced it was about to embark on a large "taste-testing" cigarette survey where participants were given cigarettes to try at home and they would be paid for their opinions. The Federal Health Department contacted Feedback Plus in December and the company assured them the market research would cease immediately and no more cigarette samples would be handed out.