HOT COOK TO START OPENING FRANCHISES Frozen ready meals manufacturer Cook is set to benefit

HOT COOK TO START OPENING FRANCHISES Frozen ready meals manufacturer Cook is set to benefit froma sales boom by opening three franchised stores. Foundingbrothers Edward and James Perry predict profits of around 1.3million pounds on sales of 20 million pounds in 2009 Lastyear’s profits reached 500,000 pounds. Edward said the group sawopportunities for growing its business in the weak propertymarket and has been repeatedly asked about the possibility ofoffering franchises Prepared for Reuters by Durrants Stocks France. * Union workers at Globe and Mail reject contract offer Stocks  |  Media * Canadian newspaper’s contract talks to resume on Tuesday (Adds Globe comments, paragraphs 5-6) By Frank McGurty TORONTO, June 27 (Reuters) – Unionized workers at The Globeand Mail overwhelmingly rejected what the Canadian newspapersaid was its final contract offer, the union said on Saturday,but the two sides will meet again on Tuesday. Union members, including journalists, sales staff andcirculation workers, voted 260-32 to reject the offer, theCommunications, Energy and Paperworkers Union said in astatement. The Globe and Mail, a division of CTVglobemedia, said onFriday it told workers it would implement the terms of itsoffer on July 1 The current contract expires a day earlier. It said it expected to continue publishing the paper andupdating its websites in the event of a strike or lockout.

But after the Saturday vote, the union said the paperagreed to resume talks on Tuesday. A Globe spokeswoman confirmed that the two sides would meetagain on Tuesday. “The purpose is to hear the union response to management’sproposal,” the spokeswoman, Nancy Evans, said by email. The union said Globe workers were prepared for a strike ifnecessary.

The union said its members at the newspaper havenever gone out on strike in its almost 60-year history. The union, which represents 450 workers at the nationalpaper, said the paper’s offer included pension benefits cuts ofup to 50 percent; salary reductions in some wage categories; ageneral two-year wage freeze for all employees; longer workdays and a longer work week.The Globe said on Friday it had adjusted its position andis now offering to allow current employees to stay on a definedbenefit pension system, though with higher contributions. Thecompany wants others to move to a defined employee-contributionplan. Many newspapers and media companies have seen theirfortunes turn sour as the economy went into recession andadvertisers slashed spending. To cope with the downturn, media groups have laid off staffand sought salary, benefit and other concessions from theirremaining employees The Globe has not been immune. In January, it revealedplans to cut about 80 jobs through layoffs and voluntaryseverance.

The union said it was sensitive to the newspaper’s plightand that it was willing to make sacrifices to help the Globeweather the tough times It was it was willing to accept a wagefreeze. “But we are not prepared to accept the gutting of ourpension plan,” said Sue Andrew, the chair of the union’s Globeunit.CTVglobemedia is owned by the Ontario Teachers’ PensionPlan; Torstar Corp (TSb.TO), which publishes the Toronto Starnewspaper; BCE Inc (BCE.TO), parent of Bell Canada; and theWoodbridge Co, an investment vehicle for Canada’s billionaireThomson family. Woodbridge is also the biggest shareholder ofThomson Reuters (TRI.N) (TRI.TO). The company’s other media properties include the nationalCTV television network, and specialty channels Business NewsNetwork and MuchMedia (Editing by Will Dunham) Stocks Media. CEBU, Philippines (Reuters) – Filipino jail inmates who rose to Internet fame two years ago with their exercise regime featuring “Thriller” donned their dancing shoes once more on Saturday to pay tribute to Michael Jackson. He made us famous,” said 36-year-old Crisanto Niere, in jail for drug trafficking. He danced and led the rest of the dancers just like Jackson in the “Thriller” number.The prisoners’ “Thriller” dance, originally part of a physical fitness and stress-relief regime formed in 2007, became an instant You Tube hit attracting 23.4 million hits It has been played on several television and cable networks.

(here),”I was so sad when I found out that our biggest idol, Michael Jackson, had died All of us here really idolize him. We will miss his dance moves, especially his moonwalk,” said 19-year-old Igan Torrecampo, jailed for murder.”The inmates consider Michael Jackson as a god here. If not for Michael Jackson, they wouldn’t have this international recognition,” said Byron Garcia, a prison security consultant.Inmates dressed as nuns raised their arms as the rest swayed to the music of “I’ll Be There”, whose message of hope resonates with the prisoners, jail officials said.Faced with prison terms of at least 20 years for crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and robbery, inmates numbering more than 1,500 find that dancing to uplifting music such as Jackson’s improves their lifestyle.Jackson died of cardiac arrest on Friday at his Los Angeles home.(Reporting by Michaela Cabrera) U.S. Entertainment Music People Japan South Korea. LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Michael Jackson will once again make music history next week as many of his albums are poised to shake up the Billboard charts with incredible sales increases. Entertainment  |  MusicThe impact of Jackson’s shock death on Thursday was felt immediately in the marketplace. Industry sources report that the demand for Jackson’s albums were so high, many stores simply ran out of his CDs.The albums with the greatest sales increases — at least on the physical side of things — look to be his greatest hits packages “Number Ones” and “The Essential Michael Jackson” along with the expanded reissue of “Thriller.” The sets, released between 2003 and 2008, were the three Jackson albums that perhaps had the most stock available in stores.In the digital realm, where the supply problem doesn’t exist, Jackson’s songs and albums swarmed the top of the constantly-updating best sellers lists in both the iTunes’ and Amazon’s online music stores. At one point on Friday in the iTunes Store, nine out of the top 10-selling albums and 40 of the top 100-selling songs were by Jackson.The three aforementioned albums, along with Jackson’s classic studio sets “Off the Wall,” “Bad” and “Dangerous” all will likely zoom into the upper region of Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums chart next week.