Wayne's World

Surgery Lights

2011-06-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Why is it important for a doctor or a health care facility to choose the right surgery lights? Let’s get to know them:

• They can prevent malpractice suits.

A lot of states mandate their health care professionals, especially doctors, to have a malpractice insurance policy. This assures them they can have something to use just in case they get sued by their patients for omission or commission of errors, including wrong diagnosis or result of operation.

However, there are times when even the malpractice insurance couldn’t really save you. One of these is when you show clear negligence on your mistake. For example, you operated on a patient with no adequate surgical head lights.

Just to save you the trouble and your reputation, use surgery lights.

• They make your life so much easier.

Through the years, modifications have been done to improve the functions and features of surgery lights. For instance, you can already find some surgical lights that can be worn, which save you the hassle of moving the stand or the podium just to obtain the proper illumination. This saves you time too.

Moreover, a lot of the surgical lights can already reduce shadows. Shadows can interfere during operations as doctors may find it hard to distinguish body parts and vascular tissues.

• They increase trust among patients.

Majority of the patients are scared to undergo operations. They would become even more frightened if they feel the health care facility doesn’t really have enough equipment to properly operate them. With the best surgery lights installed, you can make them feel more comfortable and trusting.

How to Choose Your Surgery Lights

1. Prefer the surgical headlights, the ones you wear, so the focus can follow that of your eyes.
2. Make sure the headlights don’t interfere with your vision.
3. See to it that they don’t produce bad shadows.

February 25, 2011 a School Holiday Declared by Malacañang

2011-02-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

All schools in the country will have no classes on February 25, 2011, as it will be a special holiday in commemoration of the EDSA Revolution Anniversary.

Since the holiday only covers schools, Feb. 25 shall be a regular working day for government and private offices.

The EDSA anniversary is a special holiday for schools declared by Malacanang for this year under Proclamation No. 84, which declares the regular holidays, special non-working days, and special holidays for the year 2011.

The proclamation further states that the EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986, which restored and ushered political, social and economic reforms in the country, serves as an inspiration to Filipinos everywhere as a nation and as a people.

Sitting More Than Six Hours A Day Could Kill You

2011-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today’s report of seemingly innocuous things that could lead to your early tragic death involves sitting for more than six hours a day, if you’re female.

Are you sitting down for this? Well, you’d better get up. According to a study by the American Cancer Society, sitting for more than six hours a day suppresses hormones that inhibit heart disease. “Oh,” you might say, “well, I happen to exercise and eat right when I’m not working my ass off at a desk.” It doesn’t matter. Even amongst regular gym rats, there was a 37% increased risk of death amongst heavy-sitters, and that risk skyrockets to 94% if you don’t exercise ever.

“Even if you are active, sitting for long periods of time will impact your health, and you’ll have a shorter life span,” said Alpa Patel, the study’s lead author. “Whether a person is sitting at a desk, or sitting on a couch, sitting for long periods of time is harmful.”

The study, which followed 123,216 people for 14 years, showed much lower risk rates for men. 17% of otherwise active men incurred the sitting related health problems, and 48% of lazy-ass couch potatoes who are male were more “prone to death.”

101 Killer Blog Post Ideas

2011-02-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

Below you’ll find a list of 101 different blog post ideas (though I’m sure there are more that I couldn’t think of). So when you’re stuck and need some blogging inspiration, just do one of the following.

1. Write reviews of physical products
2. Review infoproducts
3. Review software
4. Review books
5. Review magazines
6. Review (and critique) other blogs in your niche
7. Review websites (that aren’t blogs) in your niche
8. List things learned from a book
9. Write out things learned from a magazine
10. Make a list of your favorite niche-related quotes
11. Create specific, step-by-step how-to posts (like how to install WordPress)
12. Create more general how-to posts (like how to make it through college)
13. Explain the best way to buy things in your niche (like buying new vs. used, things to keep in mind when buying X, etc.)
14. Share where to buy things in your niche (recommended online stores that have the best prices)
15. Create a beginner’s guide to something
16. Rant about something that really rubs you the wrong way
17. Write a post elucidating the pros and cons of something
18. Create an infographic (my infographic course should be good to go by the end of February, btw)
19. Make charts and graphs
20. Shoot your own videos
21. Embed other people’s videos from YouTube or Vimeo
22. Write about case studies that other people have done
23. Conduct your own research or case study
24. Link to your favorite blogs or websites
25. Compile a list of online tools that people in your niche can use
26. List related and relevant forums
27. Write a Things You Don’t Know About Me post
28. Write about how to improve a skill that people want to improve
29. Write about some appropriate goals to set in your particular niche
30. Release your own free ebooks
31. Create a list of other people’s free ebooks
32. Make a huge list of something (like this one)
33. Have someone write a guest post for your blog
34. Explain things you wish you had known or done differently
35. Make a note to your future self
36. Let your readers know how to make money doing whatever you’re blogging about
37. Research some little-known facts relating to something or someone in your niche
38. Unveil features of software that most people aren’t aware of
39. Write about the history of _____
40. Express your opinion about a recent news event or practice
41. Predict the future of something (a blog, a company, etc.) or someone (a blogger, a celebrity, an authority in your niche, etc.)
42. Interview leaders and influencers in your niche
43. Interview Average Joes in your niche
44. Write about common misconceptions that people outside of your niche community have
45. Write about common misconceptions that exist within your niche community
46. Create profiles of companies in your niche
47. Profile famous people in your niche (do your research and write a short biography)
48. Email someone a list of questions and post the questions along with the answers
49. Ask your readers a specific question about something
50. Ask your readers for general feedback about your blog
51. Conduct polls
52. Play the devil’s advocate on a particular issue
53. Write about your own journey in your particular niche (how you got started, etc.)
54. Write about where your blog was or what you posted 1, 2, or X number of years ago.
55. Write about where you’d like your blog to be in the future
56. Write about where you were (with regards to your niche) 1, 2, or X number of years ago
57. Write about where you’d like to be (with regards to your niche) in the future
58. Write about where you see your niche in the future
59. Share your specific goals and how you plan to achieve them
60. Pick a problem that you see and postulate how it could be fixed
61. Do a collaborative post where you ask a few (or several?) other bloggers their take on something
62. Write about a movie that is related to your niche (maybe including what they got wrong in the movie or what you learned from it)
63. Use analogies to tie your topic to something seemingly unrelated
64. Ask your significant other to write for your blog
65. Write about the challenges of blogging in your particular area of expertise or niche
66. Share some tips for blogging in your particular area of expertise or niche
67. Make a list of your favorite blogs
68. Explain what NOT to do in your niche
69. Write about great podcasts to listen to that relate to your niche
70. Run a contest on your blog
71. Write about how to use Twitter and Facebook, but apply it to people in your niche. If you blog about rock climbing for example, you could write about how you can find climbing partners through Twitter or Facebook.
72. Write a parody or satire post
73. Compile a list of the best niche-related jokes
74. Draw a picture or comic
75. Write a best-of posts for a certain period of time (like the best social media blogs of the past week or of 2010, etc.)
76. Break some news
77. Links to other recent or especially relevant blog posts
78. Write a poem
79. Conduct a survey
80. Write about your favorite books in your niche (and link to them on Amazon so you can get a commission)
81. Showcase the best comments that you receive
82. Write a post around a particularly good or controversial comment
83. Create a post of your favorite images. They could be funny, inspiring, odd, etc.
84. Create a comprehensive list of the best blog posts or articles around a certain topic
85. Write about a hypothetical situation and what would happen or how you’d react if that occurred (like if Twitter died or if you broke your leg and couldn’t go mountain biking)
86. Write out your guest post guidelines
87. Make a list of great people to follow on Twitter
88. Compile a list of frequently asked questions
89. Write about how NOT to do something
90. Explain how to do something in your niche faster
91. Talk about your personal experiences as far as they relate to your blog and niche (like how having a baby made you a more responsible whitewater kayaker)
92. Write a 10 commandments of or 7 deadly sins of or 5 pillars of post (or something else that’s similar)
93. Write a manifesto
94. Provide templates of some kind (like sample Excel spreadsheet budgets if you’ve got a personal finance blog or road trip planner if you’ve got a travel blog)
95. List your best blog posts
96. List your worst blog posts
97. Link to interesting patents related to your niche (check out Google Patents for that)
98. Take someone else’s blog post title and, without reading the post, write your own post. Feel free to change the title once you’re done.
99. Write an article in response to someone else’s post
100. Talk about the ideal skill set to have in your niche
101. Write about what you’d do with $1000 (or some other amount) if you HAD to spend it on something related to your niche.

This list should be good enough to help you overcome any blogger’s block you might have and I am sure there's a lot more. Good luck, and feel free to comment or add something!

Facebook's 7th Year Anniversary

2011-02-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

Facebook Turns 7!
Facebook, one of the biggest websites on the planet, celebrates its seventh anniversary on Friday.

Through the years, the social network has transformed from a college-only social hub to the most popular website in the world. Five hundred million users, billions of pageviews and a never-ending supply of embarrassing status message updates after its launch, we’ve decided to take a trip down memory lane.

Back in February 2004, did anyone have any idea that a college social networking site could redefine the Internet era as we know it? We doubt it.

Mashable created a gallery to highlight the biggest Facebook events (and controversies) over the years.

Share your thoughts on Facebook’s last seven years in the comments — as well as where you think the site will be in the years to come.

2004

February 4, 2004 - TheFacebook.com launches at Harvard University.

June 2004 - The Facebook moves to Palo Alto, California.

September 2004 - The Groups application is added and the Wall makes its debut.

December 2004 - Facebook reaches 1 million users.

2005

August 2005 - TheFacebook becomes Facebook.com.

September 2005 - Facebook expands to high school students.

October 2005 - The Photos application makes its debut.

December 2005 - Facebook reaches 5.5 million users.

2006

April 2006 - Facebook Mobile debuts.

August 2006 - Facebook Platform launches, Notes application debuts, Facebook partners with Microsoft.

September 2006 - Facebook News Feed launches, users revolt against privacy settings. Facebook opens to all users.

December 2006 - Facebook has 12 million users.

2007

May 2007 - Facebook F8 Developer conference launches Facebook Platform and Facebook Apps.

August 2007 - Facebook releases iPhone optimized site.

October 2007 - Facebook Platform for Mobile, Microsoft invests big in Facebook.

November 2007 - Facebook Ads launch, users complain about Beacon.

2008

March 2008 - Facebook adds privacy controls to Friend List.

April 2008 - Facebook launches Facebook Chat.

July 2008 - Facebook Connect debuts and Facebook for iPhone hits the App Store.

September 2008 - New Facebook becomes permanent despite user backlash.

2009

February 2009 - Facebook introduces “Like” feature and TOS changes bring controversy.

June 2000 - Facebook usernames launch.

August 2009 - Facebook acquires FriendFeed.

October 2009 - Facebook changes its privacy policy

December 2009 - Facebook has 350 million users.

2010

April 2010 - Open Graph API launches.

May 2010 - Facebook privacy issues reach overdrive.

July 2010 - Facebook reaches 500 million users.

August 2010 - Facebook Places launches, privacy concerns grow.

October 2010 - The Social Network debuts to rave reviews.

December 2010 - Time magazine names Mark Zuckerberg "Person of the Year."

2011

January 2011 - Facebook valued at $50 billion.

Facebook is 7 years now. Little did we know how revolutionary it would become. Now it's a $50 billion empire. Incredible!

Indonesia Recognizsed As World's Biggest Twitter Addict

2010-10-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

Research from comScore has concluded that Indonesia is the planet's most Twitter-addicted nation. According to the data, 20.8 percent of Indonesians online visited Twitter during June 2010, with the country scoring the highest percentage rate of Twitter usage amongst of any nation's online population.

Indonesian isn't the only Asian nation recognized as strong, from the continent Japan (5th with a 16.8% reach), Philippines (6th with a 14.8% reach), Singapore (9th with a 13.3%), South Korea (16th with a 9.3% reach), India (18th with a 8.0% reach) and Malaysia (19th with a 7.7% reach).

But...

It is important to consider a number of factors which may have influenced the results of this research before analyzing its significance.

- As is often the case with comScore research, websites visits from public computers - such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs - are not included in the data. This compromises the overall validity of the data as many of the newest internet-enabled people in developing markets like Asia and South America access through the mobile web, which has more than 300 million users in China, for example, though of course Twitter is blocked there. That said, many mobile Twitter users are likely to have logged into the site using fixed-line internet connections.

- The data includes traffic number to twitter.com alone and does not count usage of third party sites and applications. With many preferring to access Twitter through third parties, traffic to Twitter's website does not reflect overall usage. However, assuming the data measures unique users, it seems likely a large proportion of Twitter users would visit the official site at least once in a month, therefore registering them in comScore's data. So while this factor affects the data, it is likely to be less of a factor than not included public internet access.

- The report does not cover every country in the world, instead focusing on the 41 which are currently tracked by comScore. While it is unlikely any of the markets that lie off the comScore radar can rival many of the top ranked countries, it should be remembered that its data is from a restricted list of countries, though this does include the world's most prominent digital markets.

Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete is Miss Universe 2010

2010-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Miss Universe 2010 pageant is under way on NBC, airing live from Las Vegas. Hosts are Natalie Morales and Bret Michaels. Here's what's happened so far:

Based on a preliminary competition, the top 15 contestants are:

Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Ukraine, Miss Mexico, Miss Belgium, Miss Ireland, Miss South Africa, Miss France, Miss Australia, Miss Jamaica, Miss Russia, Miss Albania, Miss Colombia, Miss Guatemala, Miss Czech Republic and Miss Philippines.

The judges include celebrities like Jane Seymour, Criss Angel and Evan Lysacek.

Swimsuit competition time. Here are the contestants' approximate combined judges' scores:

Miss Puerto Rico scores 8.4. Miss Ukraine scores 8.3. Miss Mexico scores 9.3. Miss Belgium scores 7.6. Miss Ireland scores 8.8. Miss South Africa scores 8.2.

Miss France scores 7.6. Miss Australia scores 8.5. Miss Jamaica scores 9.4. Miss Russia scores 7.8. Miss Albania scores 8.2. Miss Colombia scores 7.6. Miss Guatemala scores 8.1. Miss Czech Republic scores 7.4. Miss Philippines scores 9.0.

The top 10 contestants are:

Miss Ireland, Miss Albania, Miss Philippines, Miss Jamaica, Miss Mexico, Miss Ukraine, Miss Puerto Rico, Miss South Africa, Miss Guatemala and Miss Australia.

I really like Miss Australia, but I think Miss Mexico is going to win. What are your predictions?

Evening gown competition time. Here are the contestants' approximate combined judges' scores:

Miss Ireland gets 8.5. Miss Albania gets 8.7. Miss Philippines gets 8.7. Miss Jamaica gets 8.9. Miss Mexico gets 8.9.

Miss Ukraine gets 8.7. Miss Puerto Rico gets 8.0. Miss South Africa gets 8.4. Miss Guatemala gets 8.3. Miss Australia gets 8.8.

Time for some special awards. Miss Australia wins Miss Congeniality. Miss Thailand wins Miss Photogenic and Best National Costume.

The top 5 contestants are:

Miss Mexico, Miss Australia, Miss Jamaica, Miss Ukraine and Miss Philippines.

Yes! The dreaded final question! They have 30 seconds to answer. Here are their questions and excerpts from their answers.

First up, Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete: What effect is unsupervised Internet use having on today's youth? Through an interpreter, she says the Internet is an "indispensable, necessary tool" and we have to make sure kids are using it according to family values.

Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell: What role should the government play in regulating potentially offensive clothing? "One of the greatest things we have is the freedom of choice...I don't think the government should have any say in what we wear."

Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps: Is the death penalty acceptable and why? "I believe that life is a gift...I believe that none of us as humans have the right to take a life."

Miss Ukraine Anna Poslavska: How do you feel about full-body scanners in airports? Through an interpreter, she says, "I think it's a very important question of security...if that helps us to save the lives of people, than I'm for it."

Miss Philippines Venus Raj: What is one big mistake you've made and what did you do to make it right? She says she hasn't made any major mistakes, then gives a shout-out to her family. "Thank you so much that I am here."

OK, that was the worst answer of the bunch.

Judgment time.

Fourth runner-up: Miss Philippines

Third runner-up: Miss Ukraine

Second runner-up: Miss Australia

First runner-up: Miss Jamaica

Winner: Miss Mexico!

Hongkong Says Avoid All Travel to the Philippines

2010-08-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong announced to one of their government websites to avoid all travel to the Philippines.

The Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) System aims to help people better understand the risk or threat to personal safety in travelling to 60 countries that are the more popular travel destinations for Hong Kong residents (HKRs). When there are signs of threat in a place that may affect the personal safety of HKRs, the Security Bureau will assess and consider the need to issue an OTA taking into account factors such as the nature (e.g. whether it is targeted at travellers), level and duration of the threat.

For more information please click this link:

http://www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota/index.htm

Philippine Hostage Crisis Ends

2010-08-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

A hostage crisis in the Philippine capital ended on Monday with four captives emerging from a bus alive and the gunman believed to have been killed, according to footage broadcast on television.

Fifteen tourists from Hong Kong were believed to have been on the bus at the end of the 12-hour ordeal, and there were fears for the lives of the others who did not get off the bus immediately afterwards.

The body of the man believed to be the gunman, an ex-policeman who hijacked the bus in a desperate bid to get his job back, was seen slumped out of the main door of the vehicle.

TOP 10 Reasons A Filipino-American Cannot Be President of the USA according to David Letterman

2010-07-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

10. The White House is not big enough for in-laws and extended relatives.

9. There are not enough parking spaces at the White House for 2 Honda Civics, 2 Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 Toyota Corollas, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW , and an MPV (My Pinoy Van).

8. Dignitaries generally are intimidated by eating with their fingers at State dinners.

7. There are too many dining rooms in the White House – where will they put the picture of the Last Supper?

6. The White House walls are not big enough to hold a pair of giant wooden spoon and fork

5. Secret Service staff won’t respond to :psst… psst” or “hoy…hoy…hoy”

4. Secret Service staff will not be comfortable driving the presidential car with a Holy Rosary hanging on the rear view mirror, or the statue of the Santo Nino on the dashboard.

3. No budget allocation to purchase a Karaoke music-machine for every room in the White House.

2. State dinners do not allow ‘Take Home’.

AND THE NUMBER 1 REASON WHY THERE COULDN’T BE A FILIPINO-AMERICAN U.S. PRESIDENT IS……

1. Air Force One does not allow overweight Balikbayan Boxes.

9 Surprising Symptoms of Stress

2010-04-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you went through a period of stress? Can you remember the way your body reacted? Chances are you didn't feel quite like yourself. Health experts say that stress can come with some pretty surprising symptoms-from forgetfulness to nausea to skin rashes. Is your body sending you an S.O.S. that you shouldn't ignore? Read on to find out if stress is taking a toll on you-and what you can do to reverse the effects.

1. Tweaked Muscles
The pain in your neck that you attributed to long hours at the computer could actually be a symptom of stress. "Stress definitely affects our musculoskeletal system, resulting in tight, contracting muscles and/or spasms in muscles," explains Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, MS, PT, a psychologist and physical therapist in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness. "It gets us ready for fight-or-flight, although unlike our cavewomen ancestors, we don't actually need our bodies to react like this." If you're experiencing what you believe to be stress-related muscle symptoms, try this exercise: Take 5 to 10 deep breaths and focus on relaxing the tense area of your body, says Dr. Lombardo. For the neck, try gentle neck rolls or enlist your husband to give you a quick shoulder rub.

2. Eye Twitching
Have you ever had an eye twitch? The often temporary condition can be annoying and worrisome, and for some, can be triggered by stress. "This condition is known as blepharospasm," explains Debbie Mandel, MA, a stress and wellness expert and author of Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7-Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life. "Closing your eyes and visualizing your happiest place on earth will help." Also, avoid stress-related eye issues by giving your peepers a break now and then. "If your eyes get stressed from detailed work at the computer, 'stretch' them every 20 minutes by looking out the window at a larger landscape," suggests Mandel. "If you have no view, close your eyes and imagine a panorama."

3. Ragged Cuticles
Do you have ragged, unkempt cuticles or nails? Their condition could be the result of a stress-induced nervous habit. "Nervous habits like nail-biting are how we channel our stress by distracting ourselves with what is known as oral satisfaction," says Mandel, adding that picking nails and cuticles is also a common way for women to deal with feelings of stress and anxiety. If you take stress out on your hands, consider keeping a stress ball in your desk drawer-something you can squeeze or knead when on the phone with a difficult client, for instance. This helps "squeeze the stress out of your body," says Mandel.

4. Cavities
We all know that slacking off on dental hygiene is the first way to get cavities, but stress can also be a culprit, say experts, especially when you're grinding your teeth at night or during the day. Mandel explains teeth grinding, which many women do, as "chewing over the day's stressors." The problem, however, is that this bad habit can erode dental work, damaging your teeth and making them more susceptible to cavities. Mandel suggests redirecting your anxiety to pen and paper. "Set aside time to write down your problems to see them objectively in black and white, and then jot down some solutions," she says. But, she adds, "If teeth grinding is severe, see a dentist about getting a mouth guard."

5. Rashes
It sounds strange, but your skin can be a pretty good barometer of your stress level. "Stress can cause a rash, usually raised red spots or hives on the stomach, back, arms and face," notes Dr. Lombardo. "While we don't know why it occurs, some experts believe that it has to do with the adverse effects of stress on the immune system-histamine is released, causing these itchy bumps." Deep breathing may keep rashes at bay, or from developing in the first place. So, next time you feel your stress level rising, place your hand right above your belly button. "Every time you inhale, you want your hand to rise; with each exhale, it lowers. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths periodically throughout the day."

6. Nausea
Have you ever been worried about a loved one's (or your own) health condition, Googled it and suddenly felt nauseated? "Stress can upset the stomach, and nausea can be a byproduct of worry," says Mandel, who warns against playing "Google MD." Worrying about your health or a loved one's is normal, but obsessing about it is unhealthy. If your anxiety is causing nausea, try this trick that Mandel swears by: Let tepid water run over your fingers; it's believed to keep nausea at bay.

7. Sleepiness
Feeling sluggish? It could be stress. "Stress hormones cause your body to surge with adrenaline and then crash into sleepiness," says Mandel. "Stress will also ruin the quality of your sleep, so you wake up tired and irritable." What to do? Go to bed earlier, says Mandel, or catch a 30-minute nap midday, and don't feel guilty about doing so. "There is great productivity in rest," she says. "You come back more focused!"

8. Forgetfulness
Ask any woman who is trying to do it all and she'll admit to a few slip-ups in the memory department (forgotten appointments, lost keys, missing cell phone-ring a bell?). "Research shows that chronic stress can literally shrink the size of the hippocampus, which is responsible for some memories," says Dr. Lombardo. "Luckily, its size will go back to normal once your stress level reduces." Want to keep your brain functioning at an optimal level? Combat the first signs of stress with exercise, she says: "Go for a walk, run up a flight of stairs or dance around to the newest Black Eyed Peas tune." Exercise, she adds, keeps your brain sharp and may even help you be more prepared for future stressful moments.

9. Confusion
You can't decide what to make for dinner, what to wear to work or which exit to take off the freeway. Stress causes distraction and lack of focus, says Mandel. "Stress hormones lodge longest in the brain," she says. To restore focus, take a walk, she says. "Move the stress out of your body by exercising large muscle groups like the legs. You will gain clarity. Walk out in the light and you'll reset your natural rhythm while you move out the stress. Sunlight helps the body release serotonin to improve mood, and vitamin D helps you improve your immune system-a great perk."

Will the iPad hurt Adobe?

2010-04-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Adobe, the makers of the Flash animation platform, said Apple's refusal to run Flash on the iPad, iPhone and other products could hurt the company's bottom line.

The comments were part of an official quarterly report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"[T]o the extent new releases of operating systems or other third-party products, platforms or devices, such as the Apple iPhone or iPad, make it more difficult for our products to perform, and our customers are persuaded to use alternative technologies, our business could be harmed," read the report.

The statement came in a section of the quarterly report outlining risk factors that could make Adobe's business not perform as well as predicted.

Like other Apple products, the iPad -- released Saturday -- does not run Flash, making some games and videos unusable.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has reportedly called Flash "buggy" and a memory hog. But there's also a financial aspect to the dispute.

Roughly three-quarters of the video on the Internet uses Flash, and allowing it on Apple products would give customers options other than applications sold through the official Apple store.

Fortune: Why is Steve Jobs Flash-obsessed?

The Adobe filing said it's hard to know what kind of products to develop when it's unclear what platforms will be able to run them.

"The process of developing new high technology products and services and enhancing existing products and services is complex, costly and uncertain, and any failure by us to anticipate customers' changing needs and emerging technological trends accurately could significantly harm our market share ... ," the report said.

Apple and Adobe have long traded barbs over the issue. While most computers in the United States and abroad run Flash, and many game developers write for it, the company clearly would like access to Apple's devoted and highly plugged-in customer base.

iPhone users, as well as those who choose other phones, frequently cite the lack of Flash as one of the phone's drawbacks.

Risk statements like Adobe's are a routine part of SEC filings. Even the rosiest predictions include a list of things the company thinks could possibly make it underperform.

Apple did not immediately respond to an e-mail from CNN.com seeking comment for this report.

'Clash of theTitans' Takes Box-Office Throne with $61.2M Debut

2010-04-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

"Clash of the Titans" could be called "Cash of the Titans." The action tale set in the world of ancient Greek gods debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie with $61.2 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Clash of the Titans," Warner Bros., $61,235,105, 3,777 locations, $16,213 average, $63,890,110, one week.

2. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?", Lionsgate, $29,289,537, 2,155 locations, $13,591 average, $29,289,537, one week.

3. "How to Train Your Dragon," Paramount-DreamWorks, $29,010,044, 4,060 locations, $7,145 average, $92,135,916, two weeks.

4. "The Last Song," Disney, $16,007,426, 2,673 locations, $5,989 average, $25,395,041, one week.

5. "Alice in Wonderland," Disney, $8,208,060, 2,980 locations, $2,754 average, $309,733,753, five weeks.

6. "Hot Tub Time Machine," MGM, $8,070,716, 2,771 locations, $2,913 average, $27,910,213, two weeks.

7. "The Bounty Hunter," Sony, $6,091,907, 3,118 locations, $1,954 average, $48,853,453, three weeks.

8. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," Fox, $5,302,369, 2,842 locations, $1,866 average, $46,013,347, three weeks.

9. "She's Out of My League," Paramount, $1,516,952, 1,390 locations, $1,091 average, $28,712,974, four weeks.

10. "Shutter Island," Paramount, $1,488,403, 1,356 locations, $1,098 average, $123,440,937, seven weeks.

11. "Green Zone," Universal, $1,248,395, 1,242 locations, $1,005 average, $33,118,420, four weeks.

12. "The Ghost Writer," Summit, $1,127,697, 656 locations, $1,719 average, $11,016,593, seven weeks.

13. "Avatar," Fox, $980,239, 511 locations, $1,918 average, $742,332,678, 16 weeks.

14. "Our Family Wedding," Fox Searchlight, $826,067, 722 locations, $1,144 average, $18,602,225, four weeks.

15. "Greenberg," Focus, $725,294, 186 locations, $3,899 average, $2,293,918, three weeks.

16. "Repo Men," Universal, $576,180, 873 locations, $660 average, $13,156,255, three weeks.

17. "Chloe," Sony Pictures Classics, $512,871, 339 locations, $1,513 average, $1,797,090, two weeks.

18. "Remember Me," Summit, $482,428, 906 locations, $532 average, $18,242,661, four weeks.

19. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Music Box Films, $455,977, 87 locations, $5,241 average, $1,438,838, three weeks.

20. "Hubble 3D," Warner Bros., $436,714, 40 locations, $10,918 average, $1,968,671, three weeks.

SOURCE: http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

How Manny Villar Lied And Said The Death Of His Brother Danny

2010-03-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

“Nakaranas na ba kayong ... mamatayan ng kapatid dahil wala kang pera pangpagamot (Have you experienced losing a brother because you did not have the money to provide him proper medical care)? — Manny Villar asked in his “PANATA (Advocacy)” TV commercial. Villar was referring to his younger brother Danny who passed away on October 1962. In the same commercial, Villar’s 1962 photo with his younger brother was shown.

This portrayal of being poor once upon a time is a fantasy which comes in a series of similar attempts by Villar to create empathy with the nearly 90% of voters who belong to the socio-economic classes D and E. However, this particular attempt to use his late brother Danny to further his political ambition showed that Villar is as capable of lying just like Madame Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA).

Two public documents — the death certificate of Danny B. Villar and the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT number: 135396/3194) of the 560 square meter property in the upper class San Rafael Village of Navotas where the Villars had lived when Danny died — shattered this ONCE POOR fantasy that Villar has been peddling.

What the San Rafael Village TCT presents:

1. Before 1962, the Villars bought 560 square meters (SQM) of high valued real estate on Bernardo Street in San Rafael Village where the more affluent folks in the Tondo-Navotas area resided.

2. The DEATH CERTIFICATE of the deceased Danny B. Villar established that they were already residing there in 1962.

3. Based on 2009 prices, the P16,000 GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) mortgage mentioned in the TCT — not necessarily the total cost of the two 280 SQM lots — is now the equivalent of P1,140,000.00. Poor people today cannot even borrow P200,000. Those who are familiar with the subdivision say that the cost per SQM in San Rafael Village today would be around P10,000 per SQM or an equivalent of around P5,600,000 for the entire property.

4. Jun Borres, the present owner who is using the 560 SQM property as offices of his firm, Jumbo Fishing, stated that when they bought it in 1987 - it had a one and a half floor house. The ground floor was made of concrete while the upstairs was made of wood. This was typical upper middle class and upper class dwelling in the 1960s.

Implications of the San Rafael Village ownership

1. Together with established Manny Villar bio information, they could not have been dirt poor to be able to move to San Rafael Village before 1962.His mother was a seafood (shrimp, crab and fish) dealer in Divisoria Market, not a fish vendor as what Villar tries to project. A seafood dealer supplies the vendors. For a family of 11, they ate canned corned beef — which Manny Villar admitted on his earlier TV ad. His father was a government official, said to be a Budget Officer of the then DANR (Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources) under which was the Fisheries Bureau. Manny Villar studied in private schools — the Holy Child Catholic School for elementary and Mapua Institute of Technology for High School. Poor folks send their kids to public schools.

2. Villar’s parents must have had a sizeable combined income to be able to buy the San Rafael Village property. The 560 SQM size demonstrates their financial capacity. If they could, poor people buy lots sized less than 100 SQMs. Villar’s father must also be making a sizeable income from the government to be able to borrow P16,000 from the GSIS. In 1962, senior executives in big corporations made monthly salaries of about P2,000.

What Danny B. Villar’s DEATH CERTIFICATE reveals:

1. It is NOT TRUE that Danny died because they were poor and could not afford proper health care. The stated residence in Danny’s death certificate was the San Rafael Village property.

2. The BIG LIE is further proved by the fact that Danny stayed 13 days at the FEU (Far Eastern University) Hospital where he expired at age 3 years and 8 months. If they were really poor, the PGH (Philippine General Hospital) would have been the affordable hospital to bring Danny. He was definitely given proper health care. FEU Hospital was one of the top hospitals in 1962, before the establishment of the Makati Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital.

3. Danny died from CARDIAC and RESPIRATORY FAILURE resulting from COMPLICATIONS OF LEUKEMIA. In 1962, there was no bone marrow transplantation and chemotherapy yet and everyone whether rich or poor died from contracting leukemia.

4. Upon Danny’s death, his remains were turned over to LA FUNERARIA PAZ — then, until now, considered one of the top two mortuaries (Funeraria Nacional, the other). This further disproved Manny Villar’s claim that Danny died because they did not have the money to take care of him.

When Iggy Arroyo was seen as having taken the Jose Pidal rap for his elder brother Mike, many folks felt that it was rather low of Mike Arroyo to place his younger brother at risk. Our culture expects the older brother to protect the younger brother.

In that regard, we can consider Manny Villar as having done worse than Mike Arroyo. At least, Iggy Arroyo was alive and kicking and he could have opted to stay out of the Jose Pidal controversy. But in the case of Manny and Danny Villar, Danny was used to promote a myth when Danny was in no position to agree to his elder brother Manny’s portrayal of his death.

With the propagation of this ONCE POOR fantasy, don’t you think that Manny Villar also desecrated the memory and honor of his parents who strove to be able to provide their children quality education and an upper class domicile?

If Manny Villar can lie and use his dead younger brother like this, what makes you think that he will really improve and not worsen your life? What makes you think that he is not as greedy as he is being charged in this presidential campaign? What makes you think that you can trust Manny Villar?

From: William Esposo of PhilStar

LG BL40 Chocolate Review

2010-01-29T22:26:00.001-08:00

The LG Chocolate BL40 is unlike any other touchscreen phone we've come across. Its stunning, ultra-wide display has a true cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio and gives the handset a very distinct tall-and-thin profile. Available in October for free on a £35-per-month contract with Orange or Carphone Warehouse, or for £500 SIM-free, the Chocolate is quite pricey. Besides the impressive screen, though, it's bursting with other cool features, including a 5-megapixel camera, FM transmitter and DivX support.

Quite the looker
Unlike LG's previous touchscreen handsets, such as the chunky Arena KM900 and boxy Viewty Smart GC900, the Chocolate is a real looker. It's not just the fact that its tall and narrow form factor separates it from the rest of the smart-phone pack. LG has packaged it in an extremely slim and neat piano-black chassis that really looks the business. Before getting our mitts on a review sample, we thought the phone would be too tall and ungainly, but it actually feels very comfortable in the hand, partly because it's narrower than other smart phones.

Stunning screen
This handset's key feature is its fantastic 102mm (4-inch) capacitive touchscreen. Like the phone itself, the display is tall and narrow. In fact, it's got a 21:9 aspect ratio, so it can show a full cinematic image without having to crop the edges, as the iPhone or HTC Hero do. When working in landscape mode, this means the screen is considerably wider than it is tall. That turns out to be both a blessing and curse.

It's a blessing for a number of reasons. Firstly, the extra width means you can view movies in their natural 21:9 aspect ratio, with the result that they look absolutely brilliant, especially as the display is very bright and has a reasonably high resolution of 800x345 pixels. The extra width has also allowed LG to introduce a neat split-screen view in the messaging applications: contacts are listed on the left-hand side, with messages appearing on the right, just like with standard PC applications. It also means Web pages fit across the screen without you having to scroll back and forth, as you must with pretty much every other smart phone around.

The downsides are that, as the display is also very narrow, when you do view Web pages in landscape mode, the rendered text is very small and quite difficult to read. Consequently, you usually find yourself having to zoom in to increase the text size to a more acceptable level. This defeats the purpose of having the wider screen, as, once you zoom in, you then have to scroll back and forth, just as you do on other devices. Also, when you call up the landscape keyboard in the browser, email or SMS applications, it practically fills the entire screen, leaving just a couple of lines of text at the top. We can't help but feel that LG would have been better off making the screen slightly taller in landscape mode, even if this would have meant using a non-21:9 aspect ratio.

Lacklustre user interface
As with LG's other touchscreen mobiles, the Chocolate runs the company's S-Class user interface. It's bright and colourful, with well-designed icons and some slick animations, including a funky rotating 3D cube that you can use to swap between different menu screens. But it can also be rather confusing to use because it gives you too many ways of accomplishing the same task. For example, applications can be accessed either via a shortcut menu, a grid display with icons divided into carousel menus based on their function, or in a landscape view that shows all icons on a single screen. After a while, we found ourselves craving the iPhone's simpler homescreen.

MySpace and Facebook Sitting in a Tree?

2009-12-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

It’s been rumored that archenemies MySpace and Facebook have turned friendly in recent months, discussing the possibility that MySpace users might actually be able to sign into the social network using Facebook Connect.

Now, a more detailed report from the blog Inside Facebook says that this will become reality “in the first part of 2010.” According to their sources, MySpace is thinking along the same lines as Yahoo, who earlier this week announced major Facebook integration across many of its services. That thinking could essentially be summarized with the old proverb: If you can’t beat them, join them.

For MySpace’s purposes, that hypothetically would mean users accessing the site with their Facebook credentials, and then sharing back the increasing amount of exclusive entertainment type content that the site has been acquiring to their Facebook friends. In turn, MySpace gets more traffic that it can sell to advertisers, but ultimately cedes the race to be the Web’s social identity provider.

That space is seemingly a war that will be waged between Facebook and Google. The latter just launched integration with Twitter earlier this week, that allows users to sign into Google Friend Connect — its Facebook Connect rival — with Twitter. Maybe social identity ultimately won’t be that complicated after all.

Article from: www.Mashable.com

WARNING: New Facebook Chat Phishing Scam in Progress

2009-12-05T03:13:00.000-08:00

Be on the lookout for a current spate of phishing tactics spreading on Facebook via the chat feature.

The attack employs similar methods to those used by past scams, using hijacked user accounts to send chat messages with a generic message and a link to a familiar-looking Facebook phishing page. Of course, if you actually click the link and enter your details on the fake Facebook login page, the hackers steal your e-mail and password and direct you on to the real Facebook.

Once your account has been compromised, hackers use it to perpetuate the scam by spamming your friends in chat. Automated bots handle the heavy lifting of pestering your contacts. At least one of the messages comes in the format “ROFL this you?!” with a phishing link, but this particular vulnerability may take other forms, so be sure to use caution when receiving any remotely suspicious chat messages from your Facebook contacts.

Facebook typically aggressively pursues phishing scams like this one, so hopefully it won’t be plaguing users for too much longer. Until then, please use caution when using chat. Have you spotted any variants of this scam?

Article from: www.Mashable.com

Hayden's License Revoked Due To Sex Scandal

2009-11-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

The government has revoked the license of celebrity doctor Hayden Kho Jr. following the immorality complaints filed against him by his ex-lover, actress Katrina Halili.

"The Board declares that Dr. Kho Jr., violated the right of privacy of Ms. Halili when he videotaped their most intimate moments without the express consent and knowledge of the complainant...he was negligent and careless in the custody and possession of the videotape... the videos were then released to the public and this constituted evidence in the invasion of privacy of the complainant," the decision read.

Kho, for his part, admitted filming his sexual encounters but denied uploading the videos. He also apologized to Halili, saying the videos were part of his personal collection and accused his friends of posting them.

Halili also filed a complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seeking the agency's help in curbing the rampant selling of their sex video in the underground markets.

KK, GMANews.TV

Get Paid to Make a Wish

2009-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

When I logged-in to my Facebook account, I have seen my friends playing this PayPal Wishlist , wherein you can get paid to make a wish. Isn't it fun and exciting? You get paid by just making a wish? Here is what the whole idea if Paypal's Wislist:

Create your PayPal Wishlist for the holidays and earn up to US$100 when you share it with your friends and family. Let them know what you really want this year. The more you share, the more you earn.

I have tried it on my own and I've earned $5 already. There are lots of gift to choose from.

Try it now! Visit this link for more information:

http://apps.facebook.com/paypalwishlist/?ppref=1146646435&ref=mf

Take note, you should have a Facebook and Paypal account to join. So, what are you waiting for? It's free and fun while earning.

Smart Communications Bought Chikka.com

2009-11-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

It’s been confirmed that yesterday Smart Communications has bought Chikka.com for some undisclosed amount. Two top executives from Chikka Asia Inc. posted updates on their Twitter account about this development.

This has long been rumored but we’ve finally gotten word that they’ve both signed off on the agreement yesterday.

Dennis Mendiola is the Founder and Chief Imagination Officer of Chikka:

Gio Bacareza is the Business Development Director of Chikka:

Chikka Asia, Inc. is a wireless application service provider, better known for creating the world’s first instant messenger to fully integrate mobile features via SMS, the “Chikka Messenger.” It has about 38 million registered users, including mobile subscribers from network operators worldwide and is interoperable with Google Talk .

Article from: Yugatech

President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino Has Passed Away

2009-08-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

Former Philippine President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino has passed away.

She was 76.

Her son Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III confirmed that she died of cardio-respiratory arrest at exactly 3:18 a.m. Saturday at the Makati Medical Center.

Mrs. Aquino has been diagnosed with colon cancer early in 2008 and has been confined at the Makati Medical Center for more than a month.

Mrs. Aquino, widow of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., will be remembered as an icon of democracy, having led a military-backed popular revolt in 1986 that ousted a dictator who ruled the country for 20 years.

At about 5 a.m. outside the hospital, Noynoy read a statement announcing the death of his mother.

The statement read:

"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m., August 1, 2009, of cardio-respiratory arrest.

“She would have wanted to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and your continued love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for our country.

“Hinihiling po ng aming pamilya ang kaunting panahon para makasama namin ang aming mahal na ina.

“Later today, we will be announcing further details of her wake para sa lahat ng ating mga minamahal na kababayan na nais magbigay ng respeto sa aming ina. Maraming salamat po.”

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed her condolences to the family of the former President, Arroyo's press secretary said.

The President is set to declare a week of national mourning, said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde in a live phone patch from the US where he is accompanying Arroyo who is on official visit there.

Remonde said the President could cut short her trip but that they were going to discuss the matter when they get to New York, their next stop after Washington D.C. where she met President Barack Obama at the White House.

Arroyo is expected to be back in Manila on August 5.

Remonde also said that under the law, all presidents were entitled to a state funeral but added that this would be subject to the family's approval.

Popular TV host Boy Abunda, a close friend of the Aquino family, told reporters on Saturday that the Aquinos were praying the Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary when Cory gave her "last deep breath.”

Abunda said all five children of Mrs. Aquino, and her close friends and relatives were at her bedside when the former leader passed away.

After that last breath, Abunda said, Mrs. Aquino's children quietly cried.

"Malungkot. Tahimik na nag-iiyakan. Tahimik, except for Kris who was very quiet," he said, referring to the youngest daughter of Mrs. Aquino.

"Kris was very quiet. She was displaying such courage pero noong dindadala palabas mga labi ni Tita Cory... because you have to remember that Kris was in the hospital, Kris was by the side of her mother since July 20 hanggang sa mga oras na yun. Hanggang ngayon si Kris ay nasa tabi ng kanyang ina," Abunda said.

He said a Mass, officiated by Fr. Catalino Arevalo, was held after Mrs. Aquino's death.

Abunda said Arevalo is a very close friend of the former leader and had been officiating a Mass for her at the hospital.

A family driver of the Aquinos was seen loading stuff into a white Toyota Hi-Ace van parked at the back entrance of the hospital. He said the boxes and luggage belonged to Kris who left the hospital early Saturday morning.

With a report from Niña Calleja and Gil Cabacungan Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer

MEGAN FOX or EVA MENDES as SHE-HULK?

2009-06-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Megan Fox? An action hero?

The Transformers temptress is rumored to be talks to star in the big screen adaption of She-Hulk, the giant green femme super heroin cousin of the Incredible Hulk.

Megan is in discussions to play Jennifer Walters, a sexy lawyer who dramatically transforms into a powerful monster when she is angry.

A source tells Xpress4Me: “The idea is to make She-Hulk sexier but even more savage than the Hulk, which is why Megan is the big favorite for the lead. She’ll be green of course and will have to hang on to a few more pieces of clothes than the male version when she transforms!”

Megan’s chances may be dash as Nicolas Cage, who is rumored to be producing the movie, recently admitted that he’s vying for Eva Mendes to take over the role.

“I’m working on She-Hulk and I’d like to see Eva play her,” he’s been quoted as saying. “It would be her in a bikini just kicking a lot of ass, throwing cars. I’m trying to put that together as we speak.”

This, of course, begs the question: Team Megan or Team Eva?

Megan Fox is NOT Wonder Woman but She-Hulk?

2009-06-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Despite a fun viral promotion from the Web site www.wonder-who.com, Megan Fox has no plans to play Wonder Woman. She told the Times Online she has no interest in portraying DC Comics’ premiere superheroine.

“Wonder Woman is a lame superhero,” she said. “She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don’t get it. Somebody has a big challenge on their hands whoever takes that role but I don’t want to do it.”

Once Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon parted company on the “Wonder Woman” film, in development since 2005, I lost much hope of ever seeing it brought to the screen as anything I wanted to see. However, the success of the direct-to-DVD “Wonder Woman” animated movie, with Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, got my hopes up again somewhat.

Megan Fox is already signed for “Fathom” and has been rumored for She-Hulk. I think the best bet for a “Wonder Woman” film is probably to go with an unknown, but whether or not Warners thinks the character herself is strong enough to carry good box office receipts is another question.

Is Wonder Woman a lame character? Well, I’ll admit, her comic books throughout history have been less consistently good than those of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or the X-Men. But she is the best-known female superhero, and there is enough quality source material from which to develop a movie. (The Greg Rucka and George Perez runs are the most worth reading, and available in trade paperback format.)

This summer’s superhero movies — “Watchmen” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” — didn’t crush box office records like last summer’s “Iron Man” and “Dark Knight.” So maybe there’s not a mad rush to make a “Wonder Woman” film. Still, superhero movies have been very successful in the last decade, and Wonder Woman is one of the best-known not to receive a movie update. Unless superhero movies start to bomb on a regular basis, a Wonder Woman movie would seem to be only a matter of time.

Wonder Woman and Tomb Raider Hit Major Problem

2009-06-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Megan Fox, whose role in Transformers and its upcoming sequel has shot the actress to stardom, has apparently turned down the roles of both Wonder Woman and Lara Croft. Rumored to be up for both roles, Fox called Wonder Woman a “lame superhero”, and has rejected the chance to take over the Tomb Raider franchise from Angelina Jolie.

It is unknown at this time how Fox’s rejection of Tomb Raider will affect plans to re-boot the series. With Fox out of the picture who would you like to see take up these two roles?

Spider-Man 4 (May 6, 2011)

2009-06-11T03:50:00.000-07:00

Teaser Poster

Three Marvel Studios superhero pics will debut in summer 2011, including the May 6 bow of Sony's "Spider-Man 4."

That's to be followed by the June 17 release of "Thor," which was to have opened in summer 2010, and the July 22 opening of "The First Avenger: Captain America." Those two films are being fully financed and produced by Marvel; Paramount is distributing.

Spider-Man 4 Villain Is A Vampire?

2009-06-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

Sam Raimi, Director of all movies in the Spiderman franchise, spoke in the latest issue of Empire magazine and told them who he’d like to be the featured nemesis of Peter Parker’s alter ego in Spider-Man 4.

“I like it in the Marvel comics when Spider-Man fights Morbius,” said Raimi. “He’s really cool. A vampire! I like that combination of superhero plus supernatural.”

After Spider-Man 3, it was assumed by many that The Lizard would play a major role if there was to be another sequel as he was featured as an important secondary character in the movie playing a mentor-type role to Peter Parker in that film.

t would make sense to see The Lizard and Morbius as the two villains as they would work well together in the same film having had quite a bit of history together in the Spider-Man comics. On top of that, they share obvious similarities: Both are/were doctors, both work with different animals for their experiments and both achieved power from the same method.

Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard) had his arm amputated due to an injury sustained by a blast while being a military surgeon. Later in life he studied the limb-regenerative capabilities of lizards and long story short, he turned into a humanoid-lizard hybrid.

Dr. Michael Morbius on the other hand, was a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who suffered from a rare blood disease. Using experiments involving vampire bats and electroshock therapy, he ended up with super strength some side-effects similar to that of Vampirism and now he must drink blood from his victims.

I think this is a great idea for the next Spider-Man movie and if done right, can make up for the mess that was Spider-Man 3. This time they can focus on two characters and the film can be darker-themed with the nature of the characters involved. That being said, I’m getting a little tired of all of the Spidey villains partly redeeming themselves at the end and not being truly bad. That applies for both of these characters who are not entirely bad guys.

We should also not forget that Vampirism is definitely a current hot topic with the success of the Twilight books and movie which is turning into a series of films as well as the True Blood HBO series which is pre-production for a second season.

What do you think of The Lizard and Morbius making their big screen debuts?

Spider-Man 4 brings together Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi yet again, and is expected to hit theatres in 2011.

2010 Honda Insight To Sell At Bargain 90% Discount

2009-05-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

Rockybid.com, a new online auction website, successfully launch last month but they are planning to lose money on every item until the end of the year. Some recently closed items sold for dirt cheap are a Tom Tom GPS, an iPod Touch and a Nintendo Wii. Biggest ticket item is the 2010 Honda Insight which should close in a week for a bargain

Rockybid.com, a new online auction website, has compiled statistics regarding company revenue, web traffic and user demographics for its first month in operation. Despite a successful launch, the "omega auction" site, as they refer to themselves, is not looking to post profits until Q4 of 2009. This structure creates highly inflated discount opportunities for users.

According to Rockybid, omega auctions differ from other auctions in that the final bidder in the countdown wins. An omega auction does not cater to the highest bidder the way a traditional auction does, rather it is designed to reward the bidder who remains when the time limit ends. The model on which these auctions are based allows each bidder to contribute to the overall price of the product, as the increases in bidding price are completely linked to the number of bids.

However, this model also requires a large pool of users to generate profits. As their site and membership grow, Rockybid has reconfigured their plan so that they can accept a significant deficit before they recoup their losses in Q4. They are hoping that the 90-95% savings offered on their site will draw users interested in purchasing items such as a Nintendo Wii for less than $4, as was recently sold. Other recent Rockybid sales include an iPod Touch for just over $1, a Tom Tom GPS for $0.35, a fifty-dollar gift card to Amazon.com for $0.10, a PC laptop for $1.93, and a Samsung flatscreen TV for $0.47.

The biggest-ticket item that Rockybid is auctioning off is the 2010 Honda Insight Honda Insight, the new Hybrid built by Honda to compete with Toyota's well known Prius. "Because of our low user base, the Honda Insight is likely to sell for more than 90% off!" says Scott Emerson, customer service representative for Rockybid. That auction is set to close on Sunday, May 17.

"In addition to the enormous savings on our top of the line items, we are constantly giving away perks to our users," added Emerson. Free bids are available for just signing up with Rockybid as well as for participating in their rewards system. Through the referral program, 5 free bid is awarded to each referring user w hen the new user purchases an initial bid package. Even if members don't win in an auction, they can still receive prizes for used bids.

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

2009-05-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

Youniverse.com Launched in UK to Discover Users' VisualDNA™ Using Picture-Based PersonalityTest.

Youniverse, the social discovery website where users can define their VisualDNA, enabling them to learn more about themselves and connect with like-minded people that share their aspirations and personality, has re-launched with a new-look user interface. Much more than a standard PersonalityTest, Youniverse utilises images to help its users on the way to self discovery.

The concept of VisualDNA brings emotions and sophisticated matching to the web. Users build their VisualDNA on Youniverse by responding to a insightful, fun, image-based Personality Quiz, that profile each user's interests, aspirations and motivations.

Unlike other social networks based around the concept of connecting with current and past social contacts, Youniverse is based around the theme of discovery, enabling users to find people, places, experiences and products that they will like, based on their VisualDNA.

Youniverse's image-based quizzes cover topics that include personality, careers planning, travel, mind, art, movies and the Love Test. Following completion of each quiz, an in-depth, personal analysis is produced. Users can then compare their results to others' and find people that match them.

The VisualDNA concept is highly social, offering a means for individuals to better understand themselves and others, in order to facilitate both relevant, new friendships and also to strengthen existing relationships through a heightened understanding of shared attitudes, emotions and values.

Rodrigo Dauster of Youniverse explains "The VisualDNA concept uses images to enable the feelings and motivation of users to be discovered. By responding to a series of carefully selected, open statements, emotional responses are triggered in each user and the results are then used to produce their very own VisualDNA. We believe by understanding more about you and others on the site, users can unlock the door to new experiences and friendships, that they would never have discovered otherwise."

Youniverse is a social discovery website which defines its users' VisualDNA, enabling them to learn more about themselves and their friends.

The concept of VisualDNA brings emotions and sophisticated matching to the web. Users build their VisualDNA on Youniverse by responding to insightful, fun, image-based questionnaires, profiling each user's interests, aspirations, motivations and personality based on their selections.

Youniverse was named by the BBC as 'one of the best sites on the web' (BBC Click Online / Webscape-r, 11th July 2008)

The site was launched in the UK in 2008 has more than 3 million global users - over 15 million people have experienced one or more VisualDNA questionnaires since the concept was launched by parent company Imagini in 2006.

Imagini is the parent company of Youniverse and developed the VisualDNA technology. The company was founded in 2006 and has recently secured $13.5m in funding.

Podcasts Yield High ROI for Businesses

2009-05-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

Podcasts yield high return on investment (ROI) for businesses according to iBlogmarketing, which is releasing a two part blog series on business podcasts. Podcasting offers businesses a new and highly effective way to communicate with their target market, providing a high return on investment.

Podcasts yield high return on investment (ROI) for businesses, according to www.iBlogMarketing.com. Podcasting offers a new and effective way for businesses to communicate with their target market that also provides a high return on investment. Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or videos, over the Internet for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. It has become one of the fastest growing media of all time. eMarketer.com reported that almost 22 million U.S. Internet users are listening to podcasts and predicts that the number of U.S. listeners will nearly double by 2013.

iBlogMarketing.com recommends businesses consider adding podcasts to their promotional marketing plans, offering two ways for them to reach their target markets with podcasts; either sponsoring a relevant podcast or by creating their own PodfomercialSM (i.e. a podcast infomercial). By allowing the listener or viewer to tune in to the show when they want, where they want, and how they want, podcasts can be used as a form of pull advertising. Because these people are taking the time to seek out and download podcasts, they provide qualified audiences already interested in the business or product and are therefore capable of offering a very high ROI for businesses.

Lou Del Monte, President of TMA E-Marketing, offers this advice to businesses interested in podcasting, "A podcast is a lot like a Website. It doesn't matter how great it is if it isn't found in the search engines. The first step in being able to monetize a podcast is assuring it is found by your target market."

For more information on business podcasting and tips from Lou Del Monte on monetizing your business podcast, visit iblogmarketing.com for access to the full blog series scheduled to post according to the following schedule:

May 11, 2009 - Part 1: What are business podcasts?
May 18, 2009 - Part 2: How can businesses monetize business podcasts?

iBlogMarketing.com is owned and operated by TMA E-Marketing (www.tmaemarketing.com), one of the leading providers of Internet marketing services in the US. TMA E-Marketing is recognized as a leader in developing and applying cutting-edge online technologies and offers clients "one stop shopping" for all their Internet marketing and advertising needs. TMA E-Marketing owns and operates some of the most important properties on the Internet, including the number one business blog directory (www.iBlogBusiness.com) and number one business podcast directory (www.iBizRadio.com) in the world.

Pacquiao WON by 2nd-round TKO over Ricky Hatton

2009-05-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Once again, Manny Pacquiao reign supreme in the boxing arena. No doubt Pacquiao is the best fighter in boxing, pound-for-pound. He is one of those rare performers who is able to challenge bigger opponents and still dominate. He defeated Ricky Hatton by 2nd-round techinical knock-out. Pacquaio's speed is undeniably awesome. Hatton was down twice in the 1st-round, and he fell again in the 2nd-round that gave the decision to Pacquiao. It was a good fight. Hatton is good, not great.

Pacquiao is an all-time great who is a sure-shot for the Hall of Fame. He probably is the greatest Asian fighter in boxing history. Congratulations Manny Pacquaio. You gave honor again to your beloved country.

What Will New York Look Like in 2259?

2009-05-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Procedural Inc. now provides an impressive 3D scenario of a futuristic New York. CityEngine customers and trial users can freely download the city example to explore, modify and use it. As an additional highlight, the 2009.1 CityEngine release will be presented at this year's FMX 09 conference (Stuttgart, May 5th- 8th).

Procedural Inc. has announced the high quality 3D city example NYC 2259, which is available for free download. NYC 2259 is the extrapolation of New York City 250 years into the future, inspired by Luc Besson's great sci-fi movie The Fifth Element. The example features grammar rules and assets to create highly detailed futuristic skyscrapers as well as flying cars.

Procedural Inc., an innovative software company located in Zurich, Switzerland, is creator of the world's foremost procedural modeling technology. With the CityEngine, Procedural Inc.'s graphics experts have developed a radically different 3D application that allows professional users in entertainment, architecture and urban planning to efficiently create 3D city models.

"We are very happy to deliver this cool example to our clients and trial users. Usually, such detailed cities are made in months of tedious modeling work for one angle of view only, but with the CityEngine you can modify and re-generate the whole city within minutes" says Pascal Mueller, CEO Procedural Inc. "And in case there are plans for a sequel to The Fifth Element, I hope Luc Besson knows now where to get the city backdrop for it."

A "Making of" video of the New York example is available online at:

http://www.procedural.com/cityengine/provided-examples/new-york-city-2259.html

And there's more good news for 3D professionals in need to create city models: the new version of the CityEngine will be launched in May! The 2009.1 release will be presented for the first time in public at FMX (Stuttgart, May 5th- 8th) in the scope of the workshop "The Future of 3D City Modeling". The presentation will take place on Tuesday, May 5th, 11:00am, Room Karlsruhe and will broadcasted live via Procedural TV:

http://www.procedural.com/company/procedural-tv.html.

In addition, the CityEngine 2009 will be showcased at Procedural Inc.'s booth during the whole conference.

Availability
The CityEngine can be purchased online and a free 30-day trial version is also available for download at http://www.procedural.com. The software can be purchased via Procedural Inc.'s website, or by telephone order at +41 76 720 3303.

CityEngine is a registered trademark of Procedural Inc. Other product and company names herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

High-resolution images:

http://www.procedural.com/company/press_room

'10 Things I Hate About Christianity' Stirs Up Controversy

2009-05-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

ABC news correspondent Dan Harris interviewed author of the controversial new book ''10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith.'' ABC is featuring former rocker, ex-pastor, and new writer Jason T. Berggren as the subject of two separate segments due to the national attention his book has been attracting with his candid approach to faith.

According to author Jason T. Berggren, the Bible is boring, praying doesn't work, and Christians are self-righteous. Those are a few of the emotionally charged subjects Berggren answers for in the first of two interviews which debuted online this week on ABC's video news blog The Quick Fix. Berggren discusses openly the challenges he has faced over the 20 years of his faith journey as chronicled in his bold new book ''10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith.''

News correspondent Harris describes the book as "a fascinating and rather risky critique of Christianity." The assessment seems accurate based on recent comments gathering on ABC's site and around the web. Berggren openly admits hate is a very strong word and reveals that he wrestled deeply with using the term. In the end, he decided it was the best way to describe his angst-ridden frustration, which is how he justifies the use of the term. Berggren emphasizes that this is not a closed and bitter anger. It's the type of deep dissatisfaction that can be a motivator towards personal growth and forward momentum.

Berggren highlights the sub-title when clarifying this, "It's working through the frustrations of faith." Berggren explains that he doesn't just point out problems in the 10 foundational areas of his faith that he has constantly had to work through over the last 20 years, but backs them with his own personal resolutions. He acknowledges that many may not come to the same conclusions, but the author feels that others will be helped in their own spiritual experience as they read about his.

To learn more about Jason T. Berggren, his blog, and his controversial new book visit www.10thingsihate.com. ABC will be featuring Berggren in a primetime interview for the debut of a new show called "Beliefs" airing in a few weeks. Specific showtime to be announced on www.abcnews.com.

Watch the interview here, taken from YouTube:

Legendary German Shepherd Hero "Trakr" Dies at Age 16

2009-05-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

Legacy of 9/11 Rescue Dog to Live on through Cloned Puppy, Growing Interest from Hollywood in Creating a Movie

Trakr, the heroic German Shepherd whose 9/11 rescue, legendary police work and community service made him one of the world's most revered dogs, died peacefully early this week of old age at his home. He was 16, according to spokeswoman Linda Press.

Trakr first attained hero status in the 1990s as both a K9 police and a search and rescue dog whose acuity for locating people, evidence and stolen goods quickly became renowned. Extraordinarily tenacious, Trakr was credited with hundreds of arrests and recovered more than one million dollars in stolen goods. He received accolades and global media attention throughout his career as a result of both his accomplishments and his ability to capture the hearts of all he touched.

But search and rescue was Trakr's true calling. His exceptional abilities were showcased around the world following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Trakr and his partner, then Police Officer James Symington, were one of the first K9 search and rescue teams to arrive at Ground Zero. In addition to locating numerous victims, Trakr found the last survivor buried beneath the rubble. For his heroic efforts, Trakr was presented with the Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award by Dr. Jane Goodall, United Nations "Messenger of Peace," and was featured in books and magazines dedicated to 9/11 heroes including, Dog World and In the Line of Duty.

Commenting on Trakr's life, Symington said, "I am honored to have been Trakr's partner, best friend and lifelong companion. He possessed a rare combination of uncanny intuition, pure heart, and relentless courage and has been an inspiration to so many. He'll live in my heart forever."

Throughout his career, Trakr and Symington were closely involved with various charities. Trakr was the first police K9 to have his head shaved for Cops for Cancer, a national initiative for kids with cancer. He was also a regular guest of various children's organizations, schools and hospitals where kids would eagerly line up to rub his belly and get his autographed police card. Remarkably perceptive, Trakr always reached out to children with disabilities who were unable to come to him. Without exception, he would seek them out, licking their hands and evoking smiles and giggles.

While Trakr dedicated his life to fighting for others, the fight for his own life was often perilous. Symington helped him narrowly escape death when a few misguided Canadian Police officials proposed a euthanasia policy for all retiring K9 dogs. After his 9/11 rescue, Trakr collapsed from smoke and chemical inhalation, burns and exhaustion. Likely a result of this exposure, Trakr was disabled for the past two years, but he continued to be a devoted companion and inspiration to many.

In 2008, Trakr received international attention again when BioArts International named him the "World's Most Cloneworthy Dog." This honor enables Trakr's DNA to be used to clone a puppy, which Symington, now head of entertainment talent management firm Prodigy Talent Group, plans to name Prodigy.

Trakr lived in Los Angeles with Symington and his wife. The couple has been approached by various Hollywood executives and best-selling authors to turn Trakr's dramatic and poignant story into a book and movie. For more information about Trakr's amazing life, visit his "Trakr - Heart of a Hero" Facebook page.

Thousands of Women Swap Clothes Online to Save Money in a Recession

2009-04-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

While many businesses are suffering through the recession, one website that is thriving is the free fashion swap site www.swapstyle.com which has received a massive 300% increase in direct hits to the site over the past 8 months.

Swapstyle.com was the world's first fashion swap site, and has since grown to become the largest clothes swapping community online. It is the perfect way to look stylish in a recession, while making fashion green by being environmentally sustainable.

"I'm now receiving emails from women around the world saying what a difference swapstyle.com has made in their lives since the down turn in the economy, and that it has helped curb shopping addictions and lessen credit card debt by enabling them to be in control of their spending habits and still be able to have the rush of receiving a new dress. There is definitely a direct correlation to the down-turn in the economy and the huge increase in women joining swapstyle.com" says Chesher

swapstyle.com was created by Emily Chesher, 30, also known as The Swap Queen, in 2003 while she was a fashion design student. Living on her meek student budget Chesher couldn't afford to buy the fashion items that she adored, plus she was disillusioned by the negative environmental impact created by the fashion industry. Thus she put her mind to creating swapstyle.com - a free fashion swap website that allows women world-wide to swap clothes 24/7 from the comfort of their own home.

Chesher says, "swapstyle.com is free to use, and was created six years ago. When I created swapstyle.com there were no other online clothes swap sites - we were the first! The economy and the environment weren't at the forefront of people's minds, and I had a lot of people telling me that I was crazy - that the idea would never take off"

Fast forward to 2009. With economic and environmental concern, swapstyle.com has had to increase its servers on a monthly basis to keep up with the huge demand from members uploading swap items. From shoes to bags, cosmetics to designer fashion and vintage clothes, there are tens of thousands of members world-wide swapping and saving thousands of dollars a year through the site.

Not just a clothes swap site, swapstyle.com also offers a strong social networking platform in which members chat in forums, create personal profile pages and make friends. "It has become a really thriving online community," says Chesher. "It was always my dream to have swapstyle.com be a space where money didn't matter anymore. I found it refreshing to have an area online where we could enjoy fashion without having the guilt of spending attached" No guessing why one of the sites tag lines is experience guilt free shopping.

Chesher was also disillusioned by the environmental impact that fashion was having on the planet. "The waste created from the fashion industry is huge. We live season by season, sometimes only wearing an item once. It brings a smile to my face knowing that Ive created a easily accessible economically, socially and environmentally sound solution to an age old problem."

With its tag line 'open your world-wide wardrobe', fashion savvy women are taking heed and saving thousands of dollars by getting their fashion for free by swapping.

Tom Hanks Called "a Pawn of Satan" by Occult Expert for Starring in Angels & Demons

2009-04-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

Tom Hanks' new film Angels & Demons blurs the line between facts and fiction surrounding a secret society and the Vatican, but the film has angered some researchers calling it "disinformation" and a "whitewash" of what they call a real satanic secret society that continues to exist today.

"It's sad that a great actor like Tom Hanks has become a pawn of Satan and is aiding the cover-up of the existence of the Illuminati today and is a part of Dan Brown's fraud," says Mark Dice, author of The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction. "Brown's book, as well as the film, serves only as disinformation and a whitewash of the real Illuminati."

It's sad that a great actor like Tom Hanks has become a pawn of Satan and is aiding the cover-up of the existence of the Illuminati today and is a part of Dan Brown's fraud
Brown's book, as well as the film, serves only as disinformation and a whitewash of the real Illuminati.

A large subculture of people believe that the Illuminati secretly pull the strings in world events and worship Satan. Mark Dice is an expert on secret societies and insists the Illuminati is active today as an international mafia and is responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the global economic crisis we are facing today.

In his new book, The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, Mark Dice points to the Skull and Bones fraternity at Yale University, the secretive Bilderberg Group, and the Bohemian Grove as evidence that the Illuminati continues to exist today and did not go into extinction in the 1780s as many believe. "If you read the original writings of Adam Weishaupt, the founder of the Illuminati, it becomes undeniable that their plans have been very successful and the organization continues to thrive," he insists.

Dice is upset at what he calls blatant lies and inaccuracies in Dan Brown's depiction of the Illuminati, and believes Brown himself is working for the secret society as a disinformation agent to make people think the organization is a fictional creation.

Angels & Demons is the film adaptation of Dan Brown's novel of the same title, who also wrote the controversial Da Vinci Code which also starred Hanks. In the new film, Hanks is apposed by the Illuminati, a secret society that historians and scholars agree was created in Bavaria Germany in the late 1700s, which is plotting to blow up Vatican City with an anti-matter bomb. Officially the Illuminati were disbanded when their sinister plans of world domination were discovered by authorities and their members exposed in 1786.

The Illuminati plotted to secretly infiltrate key positions of power in politics, morally corrupt society, and ultimately abolish Christianity. "They have been very successful in achieving their goals," says Dice. "Many people think they were simply a gentlemen's club espousing enlightenment philosophies, but when you read their own writings you realize they were an immoral organization of devious power-hungry men."

In The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, Mark Dice has compiled evidence of the Illuminati including the group's original writings from the late 1700s and also debunks some of the conspiracy theories that involve the group. "They're not plotting to vaporize Vatican City with an anti-matter bomb like in Angels & Demons, but people would be surprized when they find out that the truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to the Illuminati."

Mark Dice has made international news for rebuking various Hollywood celebrities for their ridiculous behavior, including Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, 50 Cent, Tom Cruise and others. He has also demanded that Duke University change the name of their "Blue Devils" sports team to something not offensive to the Christian community, and launched a campaign to remove the Georgia Guidestones occult monument from public property.

American Idol Elimination - 2 Finalists Rolled Off Competition

2009-04-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

"American Idol" finalists Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai aren't closer to becoming household names. Both singers were dismissed Wednesday after it was revealed they received the fewest number of viewer votes on the popular Fox singing competition.

"I'm so really disappointed," Desai said after his ouster. "I really am."

The third lowest vote-getter after this week's disco-themed performances was Allison Iraheta.
For the past several weeks, the judges have not been favorable to Rounds, the 24-year-old mother of three from Memphis, or Desai, the 22-year-old college student from Chapel Hill, N.C.
While the panel seemed to prefer Desai's rendition of Donna Summers' "Dim All the Lights," judge Simon Cowell called Rounds' performance of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" a "mess."

"I'm actually going to miss your family screaming at us every week," Cowell told after Rounds after she was eliminated.

The acerbic judge correctly predicted Rounds would be dismissed following her performance Tuesday. The once adored R&B crooner, who originally wowed the panel with Stevie Wonder's "All I Do" at her audition, had been dubbed a copycat by the judges for the past several weeks. Desai had also fallen from grace after being selected as the judges' final wild card pick.

Two finalists were sent packing Wednesday — instead of the usual one — because the judges' used their new one-time-only power to save Matt Giraud from elimination last week.

Before the double dismissal, the seven finalists donned bell bottoms and shades to perform a group number of The Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)," which was choreographed by Paula Abdul. The five singers remaining in the competition are Iraheta, Giraud, Kris Allen, Danny Goeky and Adam Lambert. Another finalist will be booted next week.

New iPhone Application plan.pack.go is on the Top 20 Paid Applications List

2009-04-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Tangent Software today announces that plan.pack.go has made its way into the Top 20 Paid Applications in the Travel category of the US iTunes Store since its launch on April 9, 2009. This simple yet highly customizable iPhone and iPod touch application is designed to assist frequent travelers pack effectively for their trips. Whether it is a business trip, a vacation or simply a weekend getaway, plan.pack.go radically simplifies the way travelers prepare themselves.

plan.pack.go helps travelers organize their packing before a trip. Users may add items as and when they come to mind and check them off when they are packed. It provides users peace of mind that they are well prepared before leaving home.

"I'm constantly forgetting to pack certain things when I travel, that's why when I saw this app I knew I had to purchase it. This is my first review on the app store, but I felt this was such a useful app that I had to write a review on it," said Brett Hamlin, an early adopter of plan.pack.go. "What I love about plan.pack.go is the simplicity and ease of use. The developers have included pre-made templates, which comes in very handy when I create my Do-Not-Forget lists. All I need to do is check an item from the comprehensive list of items the developers have cleverly included and enter the quantity I will need. It also lets me create my own items, but I doubt I'll ever need to do so as the items in the preloaded list are pretty exhaustive. It's very easy to use and I can't wait to use it again for my next trip."

"We have constructed the application to be elegantly simple, intuitive, practical and easy to use," said Michael Tan, founder of Tangent Software. "Making the Top 20 List is indeed a significant milestone for our company and it strongly affirms our confidence in the product's appeal to our traveling customers."

plan.pack.go features two different methods of adding items to a packing list. A user may select items by performing a narrow-down search on the vast selection found in the built-in catalog. If an item required is not found in the catalog, users can create them on the fly. Alternatively, some users may find browsing through the catalog, which is organized by categories, a simpler approach.

The use of category navigation buttons and the involvement of the accelerometer, which enables flipping between the list of packed and yet-to-pack items, makes it possible for single-handed use during packing. Attention is given to the use of sound, motion, visual and motor feedback. This together with the adoption of a visually appealing interface further enhances the overall user experience.

"It is my philosophy that every successful application is 80% designed and 20% customized to individual needs," said Michael Tan. "We plan to continually provide free updates to the application, tailoring to the needs of our customers based on constructive reviews and feedbacks on the iTunes Store. We anticipate that adoption of plan.pack.go in other regions will soon follow the encouraging trend set in the US."

plan.pack.go is priced at USD 1.99 and is currently available as a download from any Apple iTunes Store worldwide. For additional information and a preview video of plan.pack.go, visit www.tangentsoftware.net/planpackgo/

About Tangent Software:

Founded in 2008 and based in Singapore, Tangent Software is the premier iPhone development company in Asia bringing innovative applications on the iPhone and iPod touch with worldwide distribution. The company's products include plan.pack.go, Upcoming Events, Upcoming Birthdays and Net Acronyms.

Feel Your Boobies®, A Breast Cancer Non-Profit Campaign uses Facebook Application to Save Lives

2009-04-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

Are you doing it? That's the question being asked to millions of Facebook users by the Feel Your Boobies Foundation. A new Facebook application gives users the ability to send a "Feel Your Boobies, Are you doing it? ®" reminder to their friend list and download a virtual car magnet to put on their profile. They are then linked to the website at FeelYourBoobies.com to get an actual physical free car magnet so they can spread the message on the street too. And the campaign is working. The Foundation has just received a testimonial from Holly Rose, a Facebook user in Phoenix who credits the campaign for her early breast cancer diagnosis. "My girlfriend posted a "Feel Your Boobies®" badge on her profile. I did that night and found a lump. I just had it removed last week and start chemo in a couple weeks. Had it not been for my friend who posted it on Facebook it could have progressed even further. I'm 39 and I'm going to live thanks to you," says Rose.

Since the launch date of the Facebook application, in early April, thousands and counting free feel your boobies® car magnets have been shipped. "We are really excited about the response to this new element of our social media campaign," says founder, Leigh Hurst. "We think this is a truly unique way to spread our message because we are able to utilize viral components both online and offline equally. Prior to creating a presence on Facebook we realized 90% of the people visiting our website said they found us because they saw a car magnet on the road. This led to the idea of modeling our online social media initiatives after our already successful offline gorilla marketing. Getting a testimonial from someone whose life has been saved because of our campaign is the greatest success we could have hoped for." The message is spreading. Currently Feel Your Boobies is the 3rd largest Healthcare Cause on Facebook. "Donating our time to work on this project was an easy decision," says Mark Wayman from Social Gears, the Silicon Valley-based company responsible for developing the application. "It's great to be a part of creating something that is really making an impact"

Funded by merchandise sales, individual donations and corporate sponsorships, the Foundation seeks ways to provide "a friendly reminder when you least expect it" as stated clearly in their mission and tagline. "By using a provocative slogan and fun imagery in unexpected places, we aim to make people giggle first and because laughter is contagious they want to immediately share the reminder with their friends and family members. Facebook is the perfect platform to do this," says Nicole Lennol, Creative Director for the organization. "And as proven by the messages and testimonials we've received as a result of our "Are You Doing It?" campaign, people are actually doing more than giggling, they're actually feeling their boobies," she adds.

About Feel Your Boobies

Founded in 2004, Feel Your Boobies® is a breast cancer awareness non-profit organization whose mission is to utilize unexpected and unconventional media to remind women, especially those under 40, to "feel their boobies". Getting in the habit of knowing is what is normal for you increases the chances of noticing a breast lump or other changes when they occur. Learn more at http://www.feelyourboobies.com

About Social Gears

Social Gears, LLC is a creative and technical team passionate about the opportunities presented within the world of social networks. A social application venture of the international technology company Network Earth, Social Gears formed in November 2007 to create applications for Facebook, MySpace and other social networks and mobile platforms. Learn more at http://www.socialgears.com

Feel Your Boobies ® is a registered trademark. Reproduction or duplication of the trademark without written permission from the Feel Your Boobies Foundation is prohibited.

Don't Travel Alone: Take Along a Native Speaker

2009-04-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

HNHSoft announces the release of its mobile English-Chinese Talking Dictionary - the first language translation software that supports Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. For Apple aficionados, conducting business while in China just became a lot easier. Finding just the right word has always been the bane of the traveler to new lands. How many of us are still embarrassed by the memory of asking for the applesauce instead of the hotel lobby? Or the pool instead of the art museum? And as an ambassador for his or her company, a business traveler can see the importance of putting the best words forward.

Worry no more, business travelers. HNHSoft's Talking Dictionary and Talking Phrase Book download in minutes onto mobile Apple iPhone and iPod Touch handhelds. This is the first product of its kind developed for use on Apple platforms. These innovative language tools contain over 90,000 entries and over 120,000 translations. Travelers can learn the pronunciation of words or phrases phonetically, see them written in the appropriate alphabet, and hear them pronounced in the natural voices of real people. Travelers can choose to turn on the setting that Romanizes Chinese characters (the so-called Pinyin in the official Chinese language), and view the Chinese characters in Simplified or Traditional form.

The translation tool can translate from English to Chinese and from Chinese to English. Travelers love the "study" feature, which allows a user to build and save a customized list of words and return to this list later. This feature comes in handy when a traveler wants to save frequently used words in one place.

For those not traveling as far as China, HNHSoft will release its Talking Dictionaries and Talking Phrase Books in five European languages that support Apple iPhone and iPod Touch platforms in late spring 2009. HNHSoft licenses the European language data and brand from the 157-year-old Larousse Publishing House.

Note: HNHSoft's Talking Dictionaries and Talking Phrase Books already support Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Java enabled smart phones, Palm OS.

Check out the HNHSoft website at http://www.hnhsoft.com for more information.

About HNHSoft:

HNHSoft was co-founded by Song Han and Wei Huang, both of Burlington, Mass., and Jian Zhang, Ph.D. Mr. Zhang is chief technology officer and general manger of HNHSoft's R&D center in Beijing, China. The United Nations Chinese Language Program (UNCLP) adopted the HNHSoft Talking Dictionary as its official teaching tool in 2008, bringing cutting-edge voice and mobile technologies to UNCLP's language teaching programs. "Our Program chose HNHSoft's product over others after extensive research.", Dr. Yong Ho, director of UNCLP said, "We found that the Dictionary's contents are comprehensive and authoritative."

Magazines.com Makes Shopping for Graduates Easy

2009-04-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

According to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, more than 5 million people will graduate this spring. Graduation marks an important rite of passage of achievement.

The best graduation gifts are practical and encourage a graduate's transition to next stage of life, which includes new responsibilities and opportunities. With this in mind, Magazines.com offering magazine subscriptions for graduates at significant discounts off cover prices. Magazines.com recommends BusinessWeek, Bon Appétit, The Economist and National Geographic magazines for graduates.

Graduation ceremonies have existed for a long time; the first graduation ceremonies were first held by European universities in the Middle Ages. Harvard was the first American university to hold a commencement ceremony in 1642.

About Magazines.com

Magazines.com is the oldest, the largest and the most dependable magazine subscription service on the Internet. We are a privately-held company based in Franklin, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville.

With more than 2,000 titles available, Magazines.com offers people a fun, easy way to discover new magazines and helps them track subscriptions. Magazines.com is the leading independent agent selling subscriptions, serving customers online at Magazines.com.

America's Most Dangerous Cities

2009-04-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

In March 2008, Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with eight felonies, including perjury and obstruction of justice. In August, he violated his bail agreement and was thrown in jail. His actions were deplorable for anybody, but Kilpatrick was no Average Joe--he was the mayor of Detroit.

Unfortunately for the Motor City, Kilpatrick, 38, is just one ripple in the area's sea of crime. Detroit is the worst offender on our list of America's most dangerous cities, thanks to a staggering rate of 1,220 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people.

"Detroit has, historically, been one of the more violent cities in the U.S.," says Megan Wolfram, an analyst at iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, a Maryland-based risk-assessment firm. "They have a number of local crime syndicates there--a number of small gangs who tend to compete over territory."

Detroit was followed closely on the list by the greater Memphis, Tenn., and Miami, Fla., metropolitan areas. Those three were the only large cities in America with more than 950 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people.

Behind the Numbers

To determine our list, we used violent crime statistics from the FBI's latest uniform crime report, issued in 2008. The violent crime category is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. We evaluated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas--geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics--with more than 500,000 residents.

Though nationwide crime was down 3.5% year over year in the first six months of 2008, the cities atop our list illustrate a disturbing trend: All 10 of the most dangerous cities were among those identified by the Department of Justice as transit points for Mexican drug cartels.

Run by crime lords like Joaquin Guzman Lorea, these gangs--and their violent turf wars--are spreading into the American Southwest and beyond. Places like Stockton, Calif., nearly 500 miles from Tijuana, have seen an uptick in related violent crime.

"Stockton is a major transit point along the I-5 corridor on the way to Seattle and Vancouver," says Wolfram. "A lot of it is similar to crime happening in the Southwest. For the most part, it's drug gang on drug gang."

Motown Blues

The situation in Mexico has escalated in recent years, but Detroit has been dealing with the same problems for decades. An industrial boomtown during the first half of the 20th century, the population of Detroit proper swelled from 285,000 in 1900 to 990,000 in 1920, reaching a peak of 1.8 million in 1950.

Only half that number still lives within city limits. Starting in the 1960s, Detroit began a precipitous decline. Most scholars blame rapid suburbanization, outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, and federal programs they say exacerbated the situation by creating a culture of joblessness and dependency. Residents fled to the suburbs and to other regions of the country entirely, leaving behind a landscape littered with abandoned buildings.

"Factories that once provided tens of thousands of jobs now stand as hollow shells, windows broken, mute testimony to a lost industrial past," wrote Thomas J. Sugrue in his book The Origins of the Urban Crisis. "Whole sections of the city are eerily apocalyptic."

Detroit isn't the only city on the list that's suffering from abandonment issues.

In Las Vegas, Nev., for example, the housing boom created loads of excess inventory. When the market tanked, homeowners suddenly found themselves with properties worth far less than the mortgages they'd taken out. In the worst cases, banks foreclosed, leaving people without homes--and with more debt than they'd had to begin with. As a result, Sin City is even emptier than Detroit.

"Detroit has trouble showing improvement in its crime rate because dedicated, desperately needed and appropriate resources are not invested in public safety. Painfully, it is not a priority," says Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Kym L. Worthy. "I wish that those with the resources would view domestic terrorism like they do terrorism across the water. It used to be that we were keeping our head above water and treading quickly. Now we are drowning, and no one seems to really care. All they tell me to do is cut some more."

Few Signs of Improvement

Making matters more difficult, as municipal budgets shrink during this recession, crime-fighting funds are often among the first casualties.

"There's less public spending during downturns," says Wolfram. "Police departments and incarcerations systems are tough to fund."

The news has been bad for decades, but there may yet be hope for Detroit. The city's new mayor, Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr., assumed office on Sept. 19, 2009--and hasn't committed a single felony.

Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities:

No. 1 Detroit, Mich.

(Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,951,186

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,220

No. 2 Memphis, Tenn.

(Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,295,670

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,218

No. 3. Miami, Fla.

(Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 2,401,971

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 988

No. 4 Las Vegas, Nev.

(Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,834,533

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 887

No. 5 Stockton, Calif.

(Stockton, Calif., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 684,406

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 885

Manny Pacquiao Sees Hatton Fight Toughest of Career

2009-04-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao faces the toughest fight of his career in a hotly-anticipated clash with Britain's Ricky Hatton next week in Las Vegas.

"For me, this is not a regular fight," said the Filipino southpaw. "I consider this fight to be the toughest of my boxing career. After all he is undefeated at 140 pounds."

The former four-weight world champion challenges Hatton hfor his IBO light-welterweight title on May 2.

The Briton has never lost at his natural weight while Pacquiao, who declined to make any predictions about the fight, will be boxing in the division for the first time.

"I want to let my fists do the talking in the ring," 'Pac-Man' Pacquiao, ever respectful of his opponents, added in a teleconference call on Friday. "This is not an easy fight.

"Ricky Hatton is a different kind of fighter than I have been fighting before. He's a good fighter and a strong fighter. I expect him to be in 100 percent condition. He has a lot of energy and throws a lot of punches."

Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Pacquiao said he and his team had been repeatedly watching video tapes of previous Hatton fights.

"He has a strong left hand, so we have studied that and prepared for that," the 30-year-old added.

But Pacquiao would not detail how he and trainer Freddie Roach planned to neutralise the Englishman's strengths.

HATTON'S STYLE

"We're ready for Ricky's style," he said. "We have been working on different techniques. I don't want to tell you what they are. I want to surprise you."

Pacquiao enhanced his impressive resume by outclassing 10 times world champion Oscar De La Hoya in December and promoter Bob Arum believes the Filipino now merits consideration as one of the greatest fighters ever.

"I personally have never seen such explosiveness combined with speed in all my years of boxing," said Arum, who has promoted boxing greats such as Marvin Hagler, Floyd Mayweather Jr and De La Hoya.

"I believe Manny's body of work establishes him as one of the best fighters in the history of boxing."

Idolised in the Philippines, Pacquiao has always strived to perform well for his fans.

"All I'm trying to do is give happiness and enjoyment to the people," he said.

Remarkably, his success in the ring has even led to temporary ceasefires in the 40-year guerrilla war being fought between Philippine troops and the Maoist-led New People's Army .

Steffani Cacho, Western Mindanao Command information officer, was quoted as saying in December: "If Manny fights, the guns will be silent."

On Friday, Pacquiao said in reply: "If that's a reason for them to be silent, I can fight every day."

5 Tips for Making Yourself More Valuable to your Company

2009-04-25T03:26:00.000-07:00

Company layoffs is kind of normal nowadays since global crisis hits every country on the globe. It is so stressful to know who stays and who goes may come down to things we can't control -- seniority, for instance, or full-time vs. part-time status, or the number of people in a given job category. But there are a few variables that can be controlled, and they can make a big difference in how valuable you are as an employee: Dedication, visibility, and special skills.

Here are five tips for keeping up with the things you can still control.

1.) Designate one day per week when you will come in early. Get there before the boss does; if you can manage it, get there before everyone else does, too. It doesn't have to be the same day each week, and it doesn't have to be by much, but that little extra bit of facetime can go a long way toward keeping you on the office radar and reminding people that you are, indeed, dedicated to the company.

2.) Designate one day per week when you will stay late. Later than your boss, later than everyone else, if you can, for the same reason stated above. Facetime, facetime, facetime.

3.) Look busy. A New York Times article about looking busy struck a chord with me, not because I'm lacking in things to do around the office, but because I hadn't thought about it before. I work at a computer -- I'd have to try hard not to look busy -- but if you're not at a desk job, then make sure you look like you have plenty to do, even if that means refolding the shirt display eleventy billion times a week.

4.) Be busy. Take on extra work if you can. I've noticed that, over the past few months, my mindset has changed from "They don't pay me enough to deal with that" to "Well, they pay me." A friend of mine whose husband was just laid off explained it this way: We've gone from a sense of entitlement -- not "I deserve a bonus because I'm great" but "I've worked here for 15 years, I ought to be able to work part time if I need to" -- to having to buckle down and compete with everyone all over again. Your company is going to want to wring every last bit of effort out of you in exchange for that paycheck; it's a lot more palatable if you beat them to it.

5.) Expand your skill set. Think of it this way: If you were just entering the workforce, you'd consider an unpaid internship, right, just to get the experience? Try to choose something you haven't done often before and, when the project is complete, add it to your resume, and show your boss that you have skills above and beyond the ones they hired you for.

Disco Night at American Idol

2009-04-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

"American Idol" is boogeying toward another elimination.

Tuesday night's worrisome theme is "disco," and a number of finalists have impressed judges with groovy versions of '70s classics.

As expected, the seemingly unstoppable force known as Adam Lambert had Simon Cowell and the gang wrapped around his finger. The 27-year-old "Idol" frontrunner wowed the panel with his restrained, emotional delivery of "If I Can't Have You."
Paula Abdul who had a dreamy look on her face _ said she felt Lambert's "pain." The judge called the theater actor fascinating, brilliant and a shoo-in for the finals of the Fox singing contest.

In another bold declaration, she also told Danny Gokey he'd make it to the final stretch.

The Newest and Sexiest Celebrity Hair Style Trend Saves Time and Money

2009-04-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

Embracing the newest hair style celebrity trend, this new 29 pc set of professional styling pins and snag-free elastics to create your own sexy, messy style on the go. Available for $12.95 at jasperjack.com. Hair Jack from Japan is represented by Madeline Johnson Marketing & Public Relations www.mjmpr.com.

"Up dos" are no longer the formal stiff looking buns and knots that women used to fashion during proms, weddings or other formal occasions. Instead modern up dos are softer, sexier and more feminine. Modern hair up dos can be done quickly and can be worn during any occasion. Hair Jack from Japan at www.jasperjack.com is the style secret for a quick DIY up do.

Apply mousse or styling wax to hair and secure into a loose pony or pigtails. Coil it round and pin into place. Remember to keep it loose and for a very new style, close to the neck. To instantly update the style, you can also wear it slightly to one side of the head.

Celebrity Hair Guru, Mika Fowler, Style Directorof Gavert Atelier, Beverly Hills, California offers her Do's and Don'ts for a sexy, messy up do like Angelina Jolie's red-carpet style.

1) Plan your style out. Give it a little thought -
Don't go messy every where. Choose either a messy bun or sexy loose face-framing hair.

2) Separate your hair from ear-to-ear in one section. Work with back part of hair to make bun then use front hair to softly frame your face.

3) Don't use a comb or a brush -Work with your hands.
Working with your fingers automatically gives some loose texture which looks soft and messy.

4) Day old dirty hair is best -
If your hair is too clean, you should use a styling wax to give enough texture and some "piece-e-ness".

5) If you can, use a curling iron or waffle iron to give your look more texture and volume. (curling the hair in different directions)

Hair Jack from Japan is the secret to creating catwalk glamor hair by professional fashion runway hair styling pros.

Lady Gaga on the Loose!

2009-04-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Like many young artists today, Lady GaGa defies categorization. But a general description would go something like this: go-go-dancing diva who writes her own disco-electronica pop songs. Oh, and Lady GaGa performs only in her underwear.

“I thought about my fantasy show,” explains Lady GaGa, whose name is a riff on Queen’s famous “Radio Ga Ga” song. “What would I be really jealous of if I saw it in New York? Hot chicks in bikinis!” Formerly Stefani Germanotta, a graduate of Manhattan’s all-girls Convent of the Sacred Heart, she’s a slim 21-year-old with thick black eyeliner and a big brunette bouffant reminiscent of that other crazy rock chick, Amy Winehouse. But while the latter favors bottles of whiskey, Lady GaGa’s vices, if you can call them that, are anything skimpy and shiny. She loves spangles, lots and lots of spangles, dripping from the raunchy stage gear she often crafts herself.

Lady GaGa is one of the hottest acts on New York’s club scene, spreading the word of burlesque rock, or whatever it’s being labeled. Earlier this year she was signed to Interscope Records and finished her first album, to be released next year. In August she and her sidekick, Lady Starlight (Colleen Martin by day, a makeup pro for MAC Cosmetics), played Lollapalooza, by turns dazzling and shocking audiences with their wild performance, a romp of provocative go-go moves set to catchy tunes and beatbox drums. Their show, however, may have been overshadowed by Lady GaGa’s brush with the law—she received a citation for indecent exposure while just walking around the concert grounds.

“For HotPants,” she says, still irritated at the perceived injustice of it all. “The cop pulled me over on his bike, the mean old man.” Okay, so her pair of black American Apparel Hooters-like shorts showed a little too much derriere, but that’s all part of Lady GaGa’s artistic shtick. Even when she’s just running around her Lower East Side neighborhood, she might wear something along the lines of a strapless bra, sheer red leopard-print tights, high-cut briefs and six-inch heels.

However, she clearly has an appreciation for equally dramatic but more substantial clothes. At the W shoot, to which she brought her mother, Cynthia, Lady GaGa spots a fancy Dior jacket and says tremulously, “I’m going to cry. Nude? Feathers?” Then she deadpans, “Lady GaGa goes bankrupt after using up all her album money on Dior resort—not even Dior couture.”

Indeed, she does like expensive things, which for a fledgling artist can be tricky. “I love Dolce & Gabbana. I love Versace. I love the crazy, more eccentric stuff,” she says, holding up her own Jimmy Choo bag. “I can’t pay my rent, but I’m f---ing gorgeous.” She also favors Choo shoes, but for performances, she opts for teetering stripper heels she buys at, well, “specialty” stores around 42nd Street. This is a practical matter, she notes. “They’re made to be more comfortable, so that I can dance onstage but still have the height.”

As for the rest of Lady GaGa’s show getups, they consist of any number of bras that she has customized and spangled beyond recognition—a lacy bra she draped with thick chains, for instance, or one $2.99 deal from Conway that she covered in a mosaic of mirrors. The intended effect? “It’s supposed to look,” she says, “like my boobs are two disco balls.”

Who is Susan Boyle?

2009-04-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle is 48 years old from Lothian. She lived with her parents in a four-bedroom Council house, and when the father died ten years ago, she cared for the mother and singing in church choirs.

She was not the glamorous type. she did, the complex crime to choose a color on the edge of her skin color and a very flattering shape with a home made chopped hair, Bushy eyebrows and a face without a hint of makeup.

Susan Boyle is not a traditional trainer - her experience is limited to church and karaoke. Previously worked as a church charity worker, she is currently out of a job, lives with his cat Pebbles, and she told Britain's Got Talent, she has never been kissed.

Britain's Got Talent's Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle has a wonderful voice and a way sweet, shy and simple. She Become Star from “Britain’s Got Talent” Sings sings exclusively for AC360°. She was sang a 'I Dream A Dream' from Les Miserables. Susan Boyle’s brought the live audience to their feet and awed the judges.

The video (which can be found here) is great fun to watch, because Susan Boyle herself is very appealing, her voice is great, and because it’s always satisfying watching a high point in someone’s life.

Susan Boyle Appears On American TV , Susan Boyle gets American Offers

Susan Boyle is making a big splash across the pond and Shown on American TV today.Susan Shown via a live link on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer and on NBC Today.

Kathie Lee Gifford broke down in tears after see the clip of her performance, I dreamed a dream about the ITV talent show.

The wonderful Susan Boyle was such a big hit on Saturday night’s Britain’s Got Talent show after this performance She has many offers of work pouring in already.

Susan Boyle shocked the nation when she ambled on stage and Belted out "I Dream a dream" from Les miserable. Simon Cowell will now offer her a record contract agreement if she wins the show or not. Patti said on CBS early show, she was brought to tears to see Susan performance on "Britain's Got Talent".

Susan Boyle Hates The Way She Looks

Britain's Got Talent Susan Boyle has show to The Mirror that she hated how she looked on Saturday night's show. Susan ask the news paper : "You say that television makes you look fat and it did"

Susan, 48 told the newspaper: "You say that television makes you look fat and it did. "I looked like a garage. It was mortifying to see and a bit of a shock. I was not aware that I could reduce people to tears, and I hope it was not because of it."

The 48-year-old singer has taken the Internet by storm, the U.S. has gone crazy. Susan will prepare us to a special performance on Thursday morning, CBS "Early Show" from her kitchen in Scotland.

Demi Moore Cries Watching Susan Boyle's Audition

Holly wood star Demi Moore has reportedly released that she cried when she watching Susan Boyle's audition on Britain's Got Talent.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher has admitted that they were moved from Britain's Got Talent singer Susan Boyle.Above five million people have now seen Boyle's rendition of "I dreamed a dream" on YouTube.

Susan First song released

The Daily Record has identified the only CD ever made of the singing sensation Susan Boyle.

Susan made her first recording back in 1999 when she sang blues ballad "Cry me a river" for a charity CD. 1000 copies of the disc was ever produced.

Watch the video about Susan Boyle performance:

Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 - For more of the funniest videos, click here

Christina Aguilera Reportedly Interested In 'Burlesque' Role

2009-04-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

Singer would make her big-screen debut as a striptease dancer.

There are reports out there that Christina Aguilera is interested in starring in "Burlesque," a film about a modern-day striptease dancer, sources tell E! Online.

Although the site doesn't have further information about how far along Aguilera is in the process of securing the role, there is word that "Dancing With the Stars" favorite Julianne Hough has also met with producers about co-starring as a pregnant showgirl.

Steve Antin, whose sister is Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin, wrote the script and is reportedly going to direct the film as well. Screen Gems, the studio behind the project, has confirmed that the movie in development, but added that it's "too preliminary to comment on." The studio is aiming for a January 2010 production start date.

A rep for Aguilera had no comment about the casting news when reached by MTV News.

Playing a burlesque dancer on film wouldn't be too difficult for Aguilera, who got saucy covering Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" for the "Moulin Rogue" soundtrack. She followed that up with her stint as "Dirrty" Christina on her 2002 album, Stripped, posing topless for the cover. Then, in 2006, she embraced her inner pin-up for Back to Basics. This would be the first major film role for the singer.

While she's kept quiet on the possibility of making her mark on the big screen, Aguilera has talked a bit about the follow-up to her recent best-of release, Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits. She told MTV News that said she wants the new album to have a more "futuristic" vibe: "It's a challenge and an exciting new project for me to reinvent what I am doing yet again, and come up with something new and fresh."

Burned Kim Kardashian

2009-04-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

Kim Kardashian may love the red carpet, but she has vowed to stay out of the media spotlight for a while.

The reality star pledged to steer clear from photographers’ lenses after getting a hearty sunburn in Mexico.

“I am so sunburned and need help,” Kim wrote on her official blog on Friday. “I’m in Mexico and I was sunbathing when I fell asleep with my huge Prada butterfly sunglasses on and now look at me! I’m going to have to hide from cameras for days.”

Kim said her burn has made her the butt of jokes from her fellow holiday-goers.

“Everyone here is making fun of me!” she noted. “My whole body is burned but my face looks the worst because of the glasses. I will never wear sunglasses when sunbathing again!”

And she might want to think about some sunscreen too!

Reasons Why Rihanna Chose Dubai

2009-04-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

When news broke that Rihanna might be returning to the stage sometime soon, some people were surprised by her city of choice: Dubai. Although happy that she’s moving on with her life and getting back to performing, American fans are probably wondering, “Why Dubai?”

Well, let me tell you…

The first time I visited Dubai was a few years ago when I was 18 years old. I went to see a good friend of mine who lived there and had always told me that Dubai (or “Du-bay” as he used to call it) was one of the best cities in the world. Since then … I’ve been back four times. He was right!

Reason No. 1: Dubai is famously known as the entertainment and party capital of the Middle East. Take it from me, Dubai knows how to get down. There’s a fine balance, though, between Dubai’s strong Islamic culture and the party lifestyle. Alcohol is allowed, but you can’t get too crazy. Rih might even have to go easy on the more risqué costumes for her shows.

While she doesn’t have to cover up completely, Rihanna isn’t going to want to offend anyone, so a couple of raunchier outfits might have to stay back at home. Either way, Rihanna is going to have an amazing time!

Reason No. 2: Back when I first visited Dubai, the world-famous Burj Al Arab — regarded by some as the only “seven-star” hotel in the world — had just been completed and looked like nothing I had ever seen before. Like a huge ship’s sail rising 321 meters out of the ocean, the hotel is one of the most beautiful and luxurious in the world. The service is incredible. The option of being picked up from the airport by one of the Burj Al Arab’s fleet of white-on-white Rolls-Royce Phantoms — or even the white-on-white helicopter — says it all!

I’m thinking Rihanna should make a move for the hotel’s Royal Suite. Reserved for only the world’s richest, the most famous and heads of state, the Royal Suite is described on the hotel’s Web site as “stately and opulent” and takes the word “luxury” to another level. At 780 square meters, the suite has its own private elevator, private cinema, a marble-and-gold (yes, real gold) staircase, leopard-print tufted carpets, Carrarra marble floors, mahogany furniture, a dining area, the suite’s own Arabic majils-style lounge (a reception area), a library, a master bedroom with rotating four-poster canopy bed and a second bedroom with adjoining marble bathrooms with spa bath, walk-in shower and Hermes body products. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention the 24-hour butler on hand at the ring of a bell (yes, he waits outside the door).

Reason No. 3: Dubai boasts some modern-day wonders of the world. These mega-projects range from the world’s tallest man-made structure (the Burj Dubai, towering at 818 meters) to the first ski slope in a desert to the largest man-made islands, the Palm and the World (an archipelago designed to look like a map of the globe). Dubai is known as “the City of Lights,” “the City of Gold” and now it can add “the City of Records” to its list. But it’s not just the modern city that is attractive — Old Dubai is simply beautiful. Famous for wind towers lining either side of the Dubai Creek and its Arabian architecture, the Bastakiya district is a tantalizing glimpse of a centuries-old Middle East. Historical buildings, mosques, museums, the market — there’s a lot for Rih to do on her day off.

Reason No. 4: We all know our girl Rihanna hails from Barbados and loves the sun, and she’ll fit in just fine in Dubai. The weather is incredible. Situated on the south-eastern shore of the Persian Gulf, Dubai (especially around May and June) gets hot! The white-sand beaches are stunning, so Rih better pack a bikini!

Reason No. 5: As Busta rapped in “Arab Money,” the city’s got money! No doubt, Rihanna is probably getting a very big cheque indeed! Go get ‘em!

American Idol Judges Spare Finalist Matt Giraud

2009-04-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

The four "American Idol" judges used their one-time-only veto power on Wednesday to spare Matt Giraud from being sent home after the hit talent show's fans cast the fewest votes for his performance of "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"

"Matt, it's good news," Simon Cowell told the singer, who broke down in tears after the judges' unanimous decision allowed him to stay in the competition at least one more week. The audience, which had chanted "Save, save, save!" cheered wildly.

Giraud first had to perform the Bryan Adams song from the film "Don Juan DeMarco" one more time, and Cowell said Giraud had actually done better on Tuesday. He began by saying, "I don't really see that you have really any chance of winning" as the other judges voiced disagreement.

Cowell also told the other finalists, who surrounded Giraud in an emotional group embrace, "I wouldn't be so quick to congratulate him," because the save meant two singers will be sent home next week and the veto had been used.

Giraud, 23, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, had drawn tepid feedback with Randy Jackson saying, "You fell down more places in that song tonight ... it wasn't one of your best performances." With more than 36 million votes cast since Tuesday's broadcast during "American Idol"'s movie-themed week, fans apparently agreed.

Anoop Desai, 21, and Lil Rounds, 23, were the other bottom-three finishers for the second consecutive week. Desai also landed among the bottom three two weeks ago.

The other remaining finalists are Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen.

Highlights of Wednesday's live broadcast included the return of season three finalist Jennifer Hudson, who triumphed over what many considered a premature elimination by landing a plum role in the hit film "Dreamgirls," and winning a best supporting actress Oscar. Hudson performed "If This Isn't Love" from her debut album, which recently won her a Grammy award.

"Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus also performed.

"American Idol" pits aspiring singers against one another in a series of competitions that focus on a musical theme each week. It is the most-watched TV show in the United States, with more than 24 million viewers per episode broadcast by the Fox network, a unit of News Corp.

Past winners of the competition such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, as well as runners-up such as Clay Aiken have gone on to lucrative music careers as well as in film and on Broadway.

The winner of "American Idol"'s eighth season will be announced during a live finale in May.

American Idol Tops the TV's Biggest Moneymakers

2009-04-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Fox Revenue per 30 minutes: $7 million
Average cost of a 30-second ad: $623,000
Viewers*: 25.6 million

When it comes to prime-time viewers and advertisers looking to reach them, Idol is the Super Bowl of prime time. With a combined average audience of 26 million viewers thus far this season, an average telecast of Fox's singing competition rakes in $7 million more than that of the second most expensive show.

*The American Idol telecast varies in length throughout the season. This figure averages Tuesday and Wednesday.

FBI called in over Wolverine leak

2009-04-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

The FBI are investigating the online leak of an almost finished copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a month before the film's cinema release.

The Hugh Jackman film was downloaded an estimated 100,000 times from file-sharing websites on Tuesday.

20th Century Fox confirmed the copy had now been removed and the FBI informed.

The studio behind Wolverine stated: "The source of the initial leak and any subsequent postings will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"The courts have handed down significant criminal sentences for such acts" the studio noted.

'Stolen and incomplete'

Both the FBI and the Motion Picture Association of America are "actively investigating" the crime.

Fox called the leaked movie a "stolen, incomplete and early version".

Viewers reported that green screens and wires attached to actors were still visible.

One user wrote on film website aintitcool.com: "The CGI is missing and the movie looks horrible without it.

"Even if you see the workprint you're still going to have to go see it in the theatre to fully experience the full movie with CGI effects fully intact."

Fox confirmed the film "was without many effects and had missing scenes and temporary sound and music."
'Forensically marked'

A statement from the studio said that once the film was discovered online they "immediately contacted the appropriate legal authorities and had it removed".

The studio added that because their content is forensically marked they should be able to trace the person who uploaded it.

A brief caption at the beginning of the film reads 'Rising Sun Pictures' and is dated 2 March, 2009.

Rising Sun is an Australian visual effects company that worked on the film - but there is no evidence to suggest it was involved in the leak.

In a statement, the company's chairman, Tony Clark, said: "From the reports we've had, the stolen material is a work in progress version of the film with many incomplete sections.

"As we worked on individual sequences within the film, neither RSP nor its staff members have ever been in possession of a full-length version, so it would have been impossible for the movie to have been leaked from here.

"It's common practice for work in progress between us and the production to carry vendor watermarks and for these works in progress to be integrated into various edits of the film for screenings, which would explain why our name appears."

The Federation Against Copyright Theft said a leak of this kind was extremely unusual as pre-release security had been tightened in recent years.

Access to a whole film is severely restricted, with post production workers being given small portions of the movie to work on and measures put in place to stop it being copied on to disc.
Spokesperson Eddy Leviten explained: "No-one working on a film in any capacity wants to see their hard work released through illegal means - piracy is not a fun thing."

'Hurts fans'

Although several reviews of the incomplete film have appeared online, Fox was quick to praise the reaction of web users to the leak.

"We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning piracy and this illegal posting and pointing out that such theft undermines the enormous efforts of the filmmakers and actors and, above all, hurts fans of the film" the studio said.

In 2007 director Eli Roth blamed an online leak of his horror film Hostel: Part II for reducing box office returns.

In an interview with MTV he claimed: "You could buy Hostel: Part II for a quarter in Mexico City. As a result, in a lot of countries where the piracy was bad, they just didn't even release it."

The leak came as a new campaign against film piracy launched in UK cinemas.

In a change from recent years, the adverts move away from the message that piracy is theft.

Audiences will instead see a trailer, fronted by Dr Who actor Noel Clarke, thanking them for paying to come and watch a film.

Volkswagen Golf VI announced as 2009 World Car of the Year

2009-04-10T00:34:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Volkswagen Golf on display at the New York International Auto Show has been named World Car of the Year. Introduced at last year’s Paris Auto Show and known as the Rabbit in earlier U.S. versions, this sixth- generation sporty hatchback from VW beat out top finalists Ford Fiesta and Toyota iQ for the highly coveted honor.

Now itself in a sixth iteration, the World Car of the Year award is the decision of an independent jury of 59 automotive journalists from 25 countries. This year’s initial list began with 51 entries from the world’s automakers, whittled down on the basis of merit, value, safety, environment, significance and emotional appeal. In addition to the top three, other finalists for World Car of the Year honors included the Audi A4/Avant, BMW 7 Series, Citroën C5 Sedan/Tourer, Fiat 500, Honda Fit/Jazz, Jaguar XF, Mazda Atenza/Mazda6 and Nissan GT-R. (It has been quite a year for significant new cars.)

The automotive specialists identified the new Golf’s more aggressive styling as part of its appeal. Its front end displays sporty mesh ductwork integrated into a new grille design. Trendy headlight clusters are part of its distinct character. Overall, the Golf VI appears more taut, more sculpted than the car it replaces. The car’s interior is upgraded from that of the previous generation, decidedly more posh, with hardly anything recalling traditional Teutonic asceticism. A cloaked instrument panel integrates neatly with controls and display screen in its center console. Altogether, the car offers an upscale ambience compared with that of its predecessor.

Worldwide, the Golf has a bewildering total of six different powerplant choices, including a 1.4-liter TSI 4-cylinder featuring compound forced induction, both super- and turbocharging. Two engine choices see initial U.S. availability. The standard Golf VI has a 2.5-liter inline-5 gasoline engine rated at 157 bhp and 177 lb.- ft. of torque. A 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injected 4-cylinder TDI diesel produces 137 bhp and an impressive 236 lb.-ft. of torque. VW expects this TDI to add to the success of its Jetta TDI in an evolving U.S. diesel market. Based on European assessments of fuel consumption, the Golf TDI is expected to post ratings approaching 50 mpg.

The Golf has a MacPherson strut front suspension and a four-link system at the rear. Sport-tuned variants lower the ride height by as much as 2.0 inches. The gasoline-fueled Golf gets 195/65R-15 all-season tires. The TDI’s are sportier, wider and of lower profile, 225/45R-17s, also all-season but of higher performance intent.

And then there’s the GTI, the enthusiast’s variant of the new Golf, a separate model really. The GTI is powered by VW’s 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 producing 210 bhp and 206 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s available with either a 6-speed manual transmission or VW’s DSG (as in Direkt Schalt Getriebe, i.e., Direct Shift Gearbox).

The Golf has been an extremely successful model for the Wolfsburg, Germany, based automaker. Since 1974 VW has sold more than 26 million Golfs in 120 countries around the world. In fact, at one time or another, the model has been manufactured in more than a few countries. First-generation Rabbits were produced in the late 1970s in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. VW was the first European automaker to establish production facilities in the U.S. in the modern era.

10 Reasons Not To Sleep With Him

2009-04-10T00:24:00.000-07:00

1. You’re not as detached as you think.
Call it the curse (and blessing) of Sex and the City. Guys finally got the message that just because a woman wants to get naked with him doesn’t mean she wants a marriage proposal. However, it also advanced the idea of unemotional sex, which according to science is more difficult than it seems.

In her book Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both (Riverhead Hardcover, 2007), author Laura Sessions Stepp highlights research studies that conclude having sex releases a different set of brain chemicals in women than men.

Specifically, women get a large dose of oxytocin, the hormone that makes you want to bond and create relationships. Men don’t get the oxytocin warm-fuzzies because of testosterone, making it easier for them to “love and leave,” at least biologically speaking.

Stepp says that evolution has hard-wired us for these tendencies, which can be confusing in our sexually liberated world. So be warned: You may want the sex to be casual… but you could end up with a serious case of attachment.

2. He may be cheating on someone else… with you!
Why is this your problem, you may ask? You’re not the one being unfaithful. But do you really want to be the “other woman?” The one who breaks up a relationship and causes another woman’s heartbreak? We’re guessing not.

Even the sneakiest guy can give away clues that he’s taken:
He only gives you his cell phone number and always leaves the room to take calls.
He’s quick to suggest hanging out at your place but never offers up his own digs.
He avoids taking you to certain neighborhoods (and not because they’re dangerous).
Suddenly no one has a name. He was out with “the guys” or “people from work.”
He becomes defensive when you ask him questions about his weekend plans, where he hangs out, etc.

Even if you’re not planning a long-term relationship with the guy, you should steer clear of him and his unfaithful ways. And if you’re hoping your night of passion leads to a hand-holding, boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, just know that once a cheater, always a cheater.

3. He’s a taker.
“Taking” isn’t always about money. A guy can be a taker in other ways – time, attention, your sexual generosity.

But first, the money: There’s no right or wrong about who pays for dates, as long as you’re both okay with the arrangement. However, if you open your wallet more often than you’d like and you’ve expressed this to him, then it’s probably time to cash in and call it quits.

He may also exploit your attraction in other ways. Can you pick him up from the airport? (Cabs cost so much!) Do his laundry? (He’s out of soap.) Host a couple of his buddies to watch the game? (You’re such a good cook.) Buy his mom a birthday present? (He has no idea what to get.) If any of these sound familiar, you’ve got a taker.

Unfortunately, this attitude usually continues in the bedroom. Don’t expect this guy to be attentive to your needs and preferences – most likely, his pleasure comes first and probably last.

4. He’s clingy.
It’s true that some women like this quality. But too often clingy turns into possessive, demanding and selfish.

Beware of someone who moves at the speed of light when trying to win you over. It’s usually a sign that he’s uncomfortable being by himself, or he’s looking for a woman to help solve his problems. Asking for intimacy too quickly or spilling loads of very personal information could be acts of desperation, and that’s definitely a bad sign in a significant other.

Signs that he’s clingy include:
He calls you several times a day and wants to talk for hours at a time, even when you have important things to do.
He becomes short-tempered or whiny when you want to spend time with anyone else.
He’s excessively close to his mom (or both parents). He may be expecting you to mother him the way she does.

5. He just got out of a relationship.
Timing can be everything. While a rebound relationship might work out for the best, a recent breakup is usually a big, glaring red flag. If you’ve been through a bad split, you know that it takes a long time to completely recover. And if your guy is newly single, he’s still going through the recovery process.

Most likely, he’s not ready for another long-term commitment, even if he thinks he is. Without knowing it, he may be seeking another relationship to prove to himself that he is still desirable and worthy of love and affection… especially if he didn’t initiate the breakup. He could also be looking for validation that he wasn’t at fault.

In short, he may be using you to fill his loneliness, whether he realizes it or not. Of course, guys aren’t always that introspective and may take a far simpler approach. You know those movies in which a guy’s buddies tell him he has to “nail some chick” to heal his broken heart? Don’t be that chick. Not unless you’re 100% sure your interest in him lies only below the belt.

6. He’s bad in bed.
Alas, usually you don’t discover this until you’re already in bed. However, there are clues that you’re in for a ho-hum hump.

First, think twice if he’s a bad kisser. Men who are terrible kissers are rarely good in bed. Perhaps it’s because they never learned proper technique, or they think they kiss just fine. If it’s the latter, he’s not going to be receptive to constructive criticism in bed.

Also, does he seem more interested in “scoring” than in you? Some guys are simply looking to add another notch to their bedpost. Men like this probably won’t take the time to find out what works for you between the sheets. Instead of a steamy, sexy romp, you could get a “wham-bam, thank ya, ma’am.”

Beware of factors that could take the wind out of his sails: he smokes, he’s taking medications for depression, he has a big belly, he’s not getting enough sleep. Any or all of these could result in erectile dysfunction. Unless he’s willing to compensate with other activities, your night of passion won’t end with a bang.

7. STDs
Unfortunately, women are more susceptible to STDs than men. It has nothing to do with promiscuity; women are simply more vulnerable to infection than men because of our anatomy. It’s easier for men to transmit infections to women than vice versa. STDs are also more difficult to detect in women.

There are more than 25 known STDs – some curable (chlamydia, gonorrhea), some not (HPV, herpes, HIV/AIDS). Many can be transmitted through oral sex – you’re not playing it any safer that way. In fact, having unprotected oral sex puts you at especially high risk for gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and hepatitis B. Condoms offer partial but not total protection against genital warts and genital herpes.

All this is enough to make a girl stay home and exclusively date Ben & Jerry. However, there’s no reason to swear off sex. Just go armed with condoms and questions about your future bedmate’s sexual history.

8. You’re drunk.
There are SO many reasons why this is a big don’t. Being intoxicated usually results in regrettable behavior and poor decisions. Like swinging from a chandelier… or forgoing a condom.

Between STDs, pregnancy risks and generally unscrupulous guys, being drunk isn’t the best time to make decisions about whom to, ahem, open yourself up to.

Those three Long Island iced teas may give you the courage to approach the hot guy you’ve been eyeing. But how do you know he really likes you? After all, your judgment is impaired. To him, you could be the slutty, sloshed girl who he hopes won’t puke in his bed.

Need another reason not to boink while under the influence? In the era of Web cams and sex tapes, your drunken fling may not stay private.

9. You’re not over your ex.
The same issues from 5 apply to women, too. Breakups are painful, and too often we try to forget that pain by getting naked with a new guy. (See related article: Are You Over Your Ex?)

However, jumping back into the dating scene may not be the bandage your broken heart needs, says Sandra Ann Miller, author of A Girlfriend’s Guide to Getting Over Him (SAME Ink, 2006). And sleeping with someone else isn’t revenge on your ex… unless your new flame is George Clooney.

“Put yourself on a guy diet for a while, and put all the attention on yourself,” Miller says. Hang out with friends, pick up interests or hobbies that have been neglected – in general, get to know yourself again.

As for the new guy, if he’s as great as you think, he won’t shut you out for not putting out. Become friends first, so when you’re ready to take it to the next level, you’ll know it’s for the right reason

10. You’re not even attracted to him.
Sometimes we sleep with people we’re simply not attracted to. Maybe you’re lonely, bored or looking for confirmation that you’re desirable. In which case, you’re using him.

Despite positive portrayals of strong, sexy women who bed down with men casually, this may not be good for your mental health, particularly if you’re feeling vulnerable enough to have sex with a guy you don’t even like. In that case, the only person you’ll end up hurting is you.

You might think that shagging someone you don’t like will make you feel attractive and empowered, but those feelings are fleeting. Chances are you’ll actually end up feeling used, empty or guilty. The underlying problem hasn’t been addressed. And what about his feelings? You may not be attracted to him, but he could be hoping to develop a relationship with you.

Seek out a therapist’s help; he or she can help you figure out why you’re engaging in potentially destructive behavior.

Should You See A Sex Therapist?
Never in the mood? Unsatisfied in the bedroom? Got intimacy issues? Constantly fighting with your partner about sex or the lack thereof? Your sex life may benefit from some professional help.

Britney Concert Goes Up in Smoke

2009-04-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

The latest stop on Britney Spears' Circus tour featured a little too much smoke and not enough mirrors.

The pop star has issued an apology to ticket holders of last night's Vancouver show after smoky conditions on stage led to a 30-minute delay of the concert—a delay that came just three songs in after Spears walked off stage without explanation, leaving the crowd to sit (and boo) in the dark arena.

"The building is awfully smoky," an announcer finally explained to the sold-out crowd, per the Vancouver Sun. "It's become uncomfortable and unsafe for the performers, including Ms. Spears.

"Please extinguish all cigarettes…The show will resume as soon as the air around the stage is clear."

A spokesman for Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, which owns GM Place, the Vancouver venue where the concert was held, said that despite initial reports claiming the smoky air was a byproduct of toking-up concertgoers, the smoke was believed to be from cigarettes, not marijuana.

(The rep did not comment on why anything was being lit up in the first place, given as smoking indoors is illegal there.)

"We want to apologize to all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney's set," reads a statement on Spears' blog. "Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue."

Eminem's Palin Spoof Condemned By Bill O'Reilly

2009-04-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

Eminen's new video "We Made You" mocks women who have dominated the news in the last year. Set up as a spoof of the Bret Michaels reality show Rock Of Love, Em pokes fun of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Aniston, Amy Winehouse, Ellen DeGeneres and Sarah Palin.

Though critics can find fault with all of the portrayals, The O'Reilly Factor host Bill O'Reilly defends just one of the women-Sarah Palin, the Alaska Governor who was the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate.

O'Reilly, a longtime hip-hop antagonist, calls Eminem's depiction of Palin crude. A Palin lookalike dressed in a low cut bustier and business suit sits atop of an office desk, flirting with a shirtless Eminem posing as Palin's husband.

O'Reilly is upset the media has not condemned Em for the video. "Eminem is obviously on an obscene rant about Sarah Palin," O'Reilly says in Wednesday's broadcast. "Totally obscene. Totally inappropriate. Nothing good about it."

O'Reilly feels that political analysts for Media Matters, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and NBC should have called Eminem to task for his treatment of Palin.

"The video means nothing," O'Reilly says. "It plays before kids who are confused. But the hypocrisy and the dishonesty of the media does mean something in this country. It is out of control and is demonstrable by this."

I know that O'Reilly dishes politics, is a Palin supporter, and wants to blast other media outlets for letting Eminem's political dig slip through the cracks. It is an interesting perspective. However, if he finds offensive and "crude" Eminem's implication that former beauty queen Palin is a sex symbol, I wonder if O'Reilly only feels that way because she is a politician?

What about the video's insensitive and mocking depictions of Amy Winehouse, Jessica Simpson, Ellen DeGeneres, Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan? Are those okay?

Like it or not, "We Made You" is Eminem's typical satire. In my opinion, Tina Fey's pre-election Palin impressions on Saturday Night Live were much more damaging to Palin's image than this Eminem video.

Rounds derided, Lambert gets standing Ovation on `American Idol'

2009-04-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

Lil Rounds continued her streak of disappointment on "American Idol."

The 24-year-old Memphis mom's eyes welled with tears as judge Simon Cowell derided her performance of "What's Love Got To Do With It" Tuesday night as a "second- or third-rate version of Tina Turner."

"I have no idea who you are," Cowell told Rounds. "You're not making the impact you should be making on the show. ... You've got to start becoming more original."

She has lost momentum in recent weeks, while Adam Lambert has emerged a serious front-runner on the popular Fox network competition.

The 27-year-old actor from Los Angeles received a standing ovation from none other than Cowell following his rendition of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears.

The theme on this week's performance show was songs from the year the contestants were born. All of them — except for 16-year-old Allison Iraheta — were born in the 1980s.

Cowell and his fellow judges loved Matt Giraud's slick take on the Stevie Wonder hit "Part-Time Lover." They also gave Danny Gokey high marks for his cover of Mickey Gilley's version of "Stand By Me." They praised Anoop Desai's performance of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," although Cowell deemed the North Carolina college student a "singing yo-yo" for his erratic work.

And for the second week in a row, Cowell criticized Iraheta for something other than her singing. Last week, he picked on her outfit; this week, he advised the 16-year-old rocker to "start being talkative and likable. Because I still don't know much about you."

Iraheta, who has an easy laugh and can do an uncanny impression of Gokey, performed Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." Judge Randy Jackson compared her to original "Idol" Kelly Clarkson, declaring: "She could sing her face off and so can you!"

Cowell suggested Scott MacIntyre go back to what he does best — playing the piano — after the 23-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., tried his hand at the electric guitar.

"It's my punk side coming out," MacIntyre joked.

Kris Allen generally gets good reviews, but the judges' panel mostly soured to the heartthrob's cover of "All She Wants To Do Is Dance." Cowell used some of his favorite words — "indulgent, boring, forgettable" — to describe it, causing audience members to shout their support of Allen: "You're hot!!!"

Responded Cowell: "So am I, but it's not about that."

One of the eight remaining finalists will get the boot on Wednesday night's results show. In a new rule this season, judges can save a contestant they feel has been wrongly eliminated by voting viewers.

Jackman condemns "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" Leak

2009-04-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

In a blaze of publicity, Australian actor Hugh Jackman zoomed in by helicopter and flying fox to an event to promote the latest X-Men movie, saying he was "heartbroken" that the film had been leaked on the Internet.

At the start of a world tour to promote "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Jackman unveiled 20 minutes of footage from the action blockbuster to fans and media on Cockatoo Island in the middle of Sydney Harbour, where some of the film was shot.

"Jumped from chopper, arrived to work via flying fox and apoligised (sic) to AUS (Australian) media for Opera House slip up," Jackman wrote on the social networking service Twitter.

The Sydney-born actor was referring to a message, or tweet, sent out on his new Twitter account on Monday in which he mistakenly called the Sydney Opera House the Opera Center.

His Twitter account is just one of the social networking tools being used to promote the comic-book superhero film. Jackman also stars in a YouTube clip in which he urges fans to vote for their city to host the film's premiere later this month.

Jackman, who not only stars in the movie but also produced it via his company Seed Productions, said he was upset for everyone involved in the movie that an unfinished version was posted online last week almost a month before its launch.

The leak sent production company 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp, into a spin to try stop spoiling one of the year's most anticipated movies.

Columnist Roger Friedman of Fox News, another News Corp unit, was fired after posting a review of the pirated movie.

"It's a serious crime and there's no doubt it's very disappointing -- I was heartbroken by it," Jackman told a news conference widely reported by the Australian media.

"Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job."

Jackman said he was heartened by the fact that most of the online community condemned the leak and he was confident that the culprit would be caught.

"The FBI are onto it and they're taking it very, very seriously," said the 40-year-old actor, who was voted the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine last year.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is a prequel to the three X-Men movies in which Jackman plays Wolverine, a fictional Marvel Comics character and a role that won him international fame.

The movie is described as the first chapter in the X-Men saga in which Wolverine is united with other legends of the X-Men universe in a revolution that pits the mutants against forces determined to eliminate them.

The film opens to the public in Australia on April 30 and in the United States on May 1.

Naomi Campbell Hits Out at Racism in Fashion World

2009-04-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Supermodel Naomi Campbell lashed out Friday at what she sees as latent racism in the fashion industry, which she said gives preference to "blond, blue-eyed models" over black women.

"You know, the American president may be black, but as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally," she said in a Glamour interview appearing on Monday in Germany.

"In the past, there were more opportunities for black models but the trend towards blond women has again become extreme. In magazines, on the catwalk, I see blond, blue-eyed models everywhere," she added.

In 2007, the London-born Campbell, along with fellow models Liya Kebede and Tyson Beckford, launched a campaign against what they said was discrimination in the fashion world.

Another celebrity eliminated from ABC's `Dancing'

2009-04-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES – David Alan Grier may have to take his dancing back to Broadway, because the comedian was eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars."

The 53-year-old was bounced from the ballroom Tuesday despite having improved his score by two points during the last-chance dance-off.

Grier and professional partner Kym Johnson earned 24 points out of 30 for their Viennese Waltz Tuesday, beating Lawrence Taylor in the dance-off duel by four points. Judges praised the pair's improvement, but fans failed to keep the couple in the competition.

Viewer votes are combined with judges' scores to determine which couple is eliminated each week.

"From week one, Kym and I planned on being in the dance-off on week five, so my evil plan is coming together," Grier joked before he was eliminated.

After learning his fate, he said the best part about appearing on the hit ABC show was getting to know his fellow contestants.

"There's so much support and camaraderie backstage that it's been awesome," he said. "My biggest goal was to try and make Kym proud."

Fans apparently spared the show's lowest scorer, reality star Steve-O, from elimination. He and professional partner Lacey Schwimmer earned just 18 points for their pantomime-inspired Viennese Waltz Monday, but escaped Tuesday's dance-off.

Tuesday's results show also featured appearances by a legend and a teen sensation. Etta James performed her signature classic, "At Last," and Disney star Demi Lovato sang her new single, "La La Land."

Besides Steve-O, remaining competitors include rapper Lil Kim, rodeo champ Ty Murray, former football star Lawrence Taylor, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, country singer Chuck Wicks, "Bachelor" star Melissa Rycroft and actor Gilles Marini.

Chris Brown Beat, Choked, Threatened to Kill Rihanna

2009-02-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles district attorney has reportedly asked police detectives to dig up more evidence as they build their case against singer Chris Brown.

The police are getting cooperation from Rihanna, Brown's alleged battery victim, and what she has told them so far is even more chilling than presumed.

E! News reports that Rihanna has alleged to police that Chris Brown not only inflicted horrific injuries on her, but choked her while threatening to kill her.

She says she lost consciousness in the midst of this.

The couple is said to have been squabbling after leaving Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party late Saturday. Shortly after midnight, things blew up.

Cops say a message from a woman who wrote about hooking up with Brown may have played a role in triggering the argument. However, there's also a reference in the police report to an argument over a rapper, but this is NOT the woman who texted Brown.

In any case, Chris Brown pulled his rented Lamborghini to the side of a street in L.A.'s Hancock Park area. That was when Rihanna allegedly grabbed the car keys and tossed them out the window, sending Brown into a blinding rage.

He tried in vain to find the keys, then came back to the car, put his hands around her neck and, according to the insider, said, "I'm going to kill you!"

According to the source, the 20-year-old "Disturbia" singer told L.A. police investigators that she lost consciousness, and when she awoke, Brown had fled.

Rihanna's right eye was blackened and badly swollen, and she had hand prints on her arms after she regained consciousness.

The responding officers were so concerned about her, they drove Rihanna to the hospital in their squad car instead of waiting for an ambulance.

Officers took two sets of photos of the banged-up star, one at the scene and the second after she was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment.

According to a source cited by TMZ, Brown allegedly hit Rihanna so hard, she could barely open her eyes - they were almost completely swollen shut.

She had a fat lip, her mouth was swollen, her nose was badly bloodied, and she had contusions on her forehead and on both sides of her face.

Those photos were presumably among the evidence presented to the D.A.

After being treated for her injuries, police escorted Rihanna down a rear elevator and into a waiting Mercedes, the source close to the case says.

Chris Brown, 19, was subsequently arrested for battery and on suspicion of making criminal threats. He was released after posting $50,000 bail.

His lawyer, Mark Geragos, has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the allegations. Brown's publicist also has not commented on this.

A spokeswoman for Rihanna declined to comment specifically on details of the fight and the arrest and stuck to her earlier statement from Sunday:

"Rihanna is well. Thank you for concern and support."

If the incident with the car keys was what led Brown to completely fly off the handle, there is no confirmed account of what the couple was fighting about.

A number of rumors have surfaced, such as the text message theory above or that Rihanna gave him herpes, but nothing conclusive or detailed.

English Is A Funny Language

2009-02-08T02:53:00.000-08:00

In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?

Why does night fall but never break and day break but never fall?

Why is it that when we transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when we transport something by ship, it's called cargo?

Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists?

In what other language do they call the third hand on the clock the second hand?

Why is it called a TV set when you get only one?

Why - in our crazy language - can your nose run and your feet smell?

Sometimes you have to believe that all English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane:

If olive oil is made of olives, what do they make baby oil from?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian consume?

A writer is someone who writes, and a stinger is something that stings.
But fingers don't fing and grocers don't groce.

If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?

If the teacher taught, why isn't it also true that the preacher praught?

If harmless actions are the opposite of harmful actions, why are shameless and shameful behavior the same?

English is a language in which you can turn a light on and you can turn a light off and you can turn a light out, but you can't turn a light in;

In which the sun comes up and goes down, but prices go up and come down.

In which your nose can simultaneously burn up and burn down and your car can slow up and slow down, in which you can fill in a form by filling out a form and in which your alarm clock goes off by going on.

English is a crazy language. What is it that when the sun or the moon or the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible; and why when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I shall end it?

Men are...

2009-02-08T02:40:00.000-08:00

1.) Men are like Laxatives . They irritate the crap out of you.

2.) Men are like. Bananas . The older they get, the less firm they are.

3.) Men are like Weather . Nothing can be done to change them.

4.) Men are like Blenders You need One, but you're not quite sure why.

5.) Men are like Chocolate Bars .. Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.

6.) Men are like Commercials . You can't believe a word they say.

7.) Men are like ..... Government Bonds ..... They take soooooooo long to mature.

8.) Men are like .... Mascara . They usually run at the first sign of emotion.

9.) Men are like Popcorn . They satisfy you, but only for a little while.

10.) Men are like Snowstorms . You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.

11.) Men are like Snowstorms . You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.

12.) Men are like Lava Lamps . Fun to look at, but not very bright.

13.) Men are like Parking Spots All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped.

Michael Phelps - What a dope!

2009-02-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Michael Phelps may have won a record eight gold medals during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but now he’s gaining notoriety for a less lofty achievement after a photo of the swimmer allegedly smoking marijuana from a bong was published in the United Kingdom’s News of the World, the New York Daily News reported.

Phelps said yesterday he was sorry for his actions, issuing a public apology.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me.”

He continued by saying he was “sorry” and vowing to his fans that this was a one-time mistake. “I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

The picture of the famous swimmer was shot during a Nov. 6 party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where he was visiting a co-ed.

Sources told the British paper that Phelps was asked if he wanted to smoke marijuana. He said yes and was then led to a back room.

“He looked just as natural with a bong in his hand as he does swimming in the pool,” one witness said. “He was the gold medalist of bong hits.”

Phelps’ rep, Clifford Bloxham, was caught off guard by the photo and reportedly attempted to keep the photo from being published, with offers of cash as well as a deal to have the swimmer write a column for the paper for three years.

Phelps is on track to earn approximately $100 million from endorsements and he’s already signed deals with Speedo, Visa, Frosted Flakes cereal and the video game Guitar Hero.

Angelina Jolie Seek Help from Thailand's Government

2009-02-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Angelina Jolie's work is never ending. Despite of having her own acting career and taking care of so many children, she has time to spare for humanitarian. She asked Thailand's government to give more freedom to tens of thousands of Burmese refugees it has kept locked inside camps for more than 20 years.She was in Thailand's Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee center on Wednesday.

She said this in a statement "I was saddened to meet a 21-year-old woman who was born in a refugee camp, who has never even been out of the camp and is now raising her own child in a camp."

Ways To Get Rid Of Blackheads

2009-02-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

A blackhead (medically known as an open comedo - Medical dictionary - definition of blackhead/open comedo , plural comedones ) is a yellowish or blackish bump or plug on the skin.

A disease of turkeys caused by the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis. Also called histomoniasis or infectious enterohepatitis.

Toothpaste is good also (for some people). Put only a little bit before you good to sleep. Some people use this as a mask but don’t do it! It can change your skin tone and make your face discolored. Aloe vera helps scars lighten and less noticeable. Use the gel or the real thing. Try to buy a cleanser that works for you, and when you wash your face, open your pores with hot water (not to hot, or it will dry out your skin) and massage it gently into your skin. the use cold water at the end to close you pores. The smaller your pores are, the less likely you’re prone to pimples.

Cleanse your face with unboiled milk, gently rub a coarse cloth dipped in milk to remove the blackheads. Steam your face with herbs like lavender, lemon peel and mint leaves added to the water and let the skin soak up its goodness.

Cut back on your sugar intake. It will cause breaks outs. Don’t drink to many cola’s or eat too many sweets. Also cut back on your intake of fat. Like in chips and so forth.

Try pore strips - they work well for some people - use right after shower or bath so pores are open. Uuse a clean washcloth, scrub, or just your fingers to wash face every time. Eat a ‘clean’ diet - lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grain cereal and bread, lots of fruit and vegetables. No fried, fast, or junk food - even diet junk food. Drink 1/2 gallon of water a day.

Use creams containing AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Fruit acids) like glyco-creams that will clear away any dead skin cells and “expose” the blackhead. Use the AHA’s every 3 days or so.

Exfoliate the blackhead prone area 3-4 times a week using facial exfoliators and scrubs. Avoid washing the face with soaps more than twice a day. Instead wash your face often with plain water splashes. Use a good exfoliant then while your face is still warm , take an extractor and get them all out. After that just besure to wash your face everynight before you go to bed and you should be 100% black head free!

A paste made out of cornstarch and water is great–it dries out zits and the very slight graininess of the starch will exfoliate your skin when you wash it off. Use it as a mask–apply and keep on until it turns completely white.

Best treatment is to cleanse and tone. Don’t scrub your fash but wash with exfoliating cream/soap. Don’t use hot water - but warm water. Blackheads caused by dirt/oil getting into pores.

Cut papaya in 1 inch chunks. Blend/mash 2 or 3 chunks and store the wrest in the freezer. Apply the blended/mashed papaya and leave on face for 10-20 min. Use 2 or 3x a week. The papaya may tingle but that just means that the papaya is working and it is breaking down dead skin cells to give that lovely glow and since it breaks down the dead skin it clears out the pores and in turn they shrink.

How to Attract a Good Man

2009-02-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Ask yourself: Do you want a man? Or do you need a man?

This is a vital question.

You see, I get a lot of letters from women who say they just can't face another birthday "alone." I get these letters from 25-year-old women, 32-year-old women, 48-year-old women, and 60-year-old women.

They don't want a man. They need a man.

There's a big difference in needing a man and wanting one, let me tell you. It makes all the difference in whether you attract a man who'll love you and make your happiness a priority, or a man who'll fulfill his own wants and needs first (and leave you waiting around).

Men pick up on women who like men, who want one but don't necessarily need one, and they act accordingly.

They also pick up (like radar!) women who need a man, who are freaking out about being single, and they act accordingly.

So...what vibe are you giving off?

If you fall into the "needing" category, admit it. There's no need to be ashamed. From this day on, cultivate the happiness, self-reliance, and self-love that will attract the good man you deserve.

Happy women who love and respect themselves attract men who love and respect them and want to keep them happy.

How do you do become one of these women?

Start by treating yourself like a treasure yet to be discovered. Speak to yourself as you would a beloved child. If you're in the habit of saying things like, "It's just my luck...," "I'm so stupid," or "I'm destined to be alone," stop. Immediately.

Change your words: "I love and accept myself unconditionally," "I am a treasure yet to be discovered," "I am attracting good men, good friends, and happy circumstances."

Every single day treat yourself as you would the person you love most in the world. I'm not talking about conceit. If it helps, think about how you would treat the most fabulous boyfriend in the world, and treat yourself that way.

Above all, know that there will still be times when you are unsure of yourself, when you don't have all the answers, when you walk into a room of strangers and feel a little scared. This is okay. This is human.

Love yourself anyway.

You will soon find yourself attracting better men, better friends, and happy circumstances.

Beyonce Knowles Does Not Consider Herself A Famous Singer

2009-02-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

Beyonce Knowles is a beautiful melodious singer, a wonderful lyricist, record producer, actress, model and fashion designer. She is also the creator of worldwide fame “Destiny’s Child” an all R&B girl group but she does not claim herself a diva.

Beyonce Knowles said, “I am a single girl and I don’t find myself a popular singer. I live happily each and every moment of life with my family.

She further added, “I love to watch TV especially old TV shows. I still like the Cosbys and Fresh Prince. I have a hobby of painting and I am more contented out of the spotlight.”

The Top 10 Dumb Blonde Quotes Revealed

2009-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

It looks like blonde stars have traded fame and fortune for a large slice of their brains, at least that's what their quotes suggest. Paris Hilton recently goofed when she said that Britain's Prime Minister is Gordon Ramsay, reports the Sun.

However, the hotel heiress isn't the only famous blonde to have uttered such things.

Here's the list of top 10 dumb blonde quotes:

1) Paris Hilton talking to press about the US chain store: "Wal-Mart... do they like make walls there?"

2) Jessica Simpson on NewleyWeds: "Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken by the Sea.'

3) Alicia Silverstone on her role in Clueless: "I think that the film was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."

4) Chantelle Houghton when Big Brother said she had changed since becoming a celebrity: "I've changed? What do you mean... I've changed my clothes?"

5) Jodie Marsh in a recent interview: "Eskimos are uncivilised because they don't have any shops."

6) Paris Hilton on her technique on the red carpet: "I don't really think, I just walk."

7) Jessica Simpson on her first day at high school: "A teacher asked us if anybody knew the names of the continents. I was sooo excited. I was like, Damn it! It's my first day of 7th grade, I'm in junior high and I know this answer. So I raised my hand, I was the first one, and I said A-E-I-O-U!"

8) Goldie Horn on her favourite types of films: "Comedy is funny".

9) Sam Fox on fitness clothes: "I've got 10 pairs of training shoes - one for every day of the week."

10) Britney Spears on her taste in clothes: "So many people have asked me how I could possibly be a role model and dress like a tramp and get implants... all I have to say is that self-esteem is how you look at yourself and I feel good enough about myself so wear that kind of clothing... the breast implant issue has nothing to do with that..."

Paris Hilton Bought £2M London Home

2009-02-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

Paris Hilton has reportedly bought a house in Camden, which is worth a whopping two million pounds.

The townhouse is within walking distance of pads owned by Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, cool comedians Noel Fielding and Leigh Francis, and Blur's Graham Coxon.

Hilton was very impressed with the six-bedroom house and now wants to spend another 250,000 pounds to make the house "Pure Paris".

The hotel heiress has told friends that she has plans to have pole-dancing equipment installed in her living room, just as she has in LA.

"Paris started looking for a base when she was last in the UK to film her ITV2 reality show, 'Paris Hilton's British Best Friend'," the Mirror quoted a friend, as saying.

"She initially thought about living near Hampstead and Belsize Park, but moved on to Camden, where she could get more bedrooms for her money.
,
"She wanted lots of room for her friends from LA to sleep over. She will be spending a lot of time in the UK, so she wants somewhere comfortable and quite similar to her girl palace in LA," the friend added.

Britney's Former Manager Sues Singer and Parents

2009-02-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Britney Spears’ former manager and friend Osama “Sam” Lutfi recently filed a libel and defamation lawsuit against the singer and her parents.

Lutfi’s lawsuit came just three days after a judge granted Spears and her parents a restraining order against Lutfi, paparazzo Adnan Ghalib and a lawyer who the Spears family claim tried to regain control of the singer’s life.

The lawsuit, which does not seek a specific amount, provides pages of Lutfi’s version of events, including his claim that he urged the singer to reconcile with her parents and that he was acting in her best interests.

Spears’ family has contended otherwise. Lynne Spears once accused him of grinding pills into her food to control her, a claim he denies in his lawsuit.

Britney has a resurgent career with a new album and tour planned, both of which have occurred since a court granted her father, Jamie, control over the singer’s personal and financial affairs.

Lutfi’s libel and defamation claims heavily cite Lynne’s recent book, Through the Storm, and says it’s filled with “false statements.”

He claims the Spears’ actions have caused him to suffer “humiliation, mental anguish and emotional and physical distress.” Lutfi’s lawsuit also claims he has received death threats and “has been subjected to unfathomable amounts of ridicule and public scorn.”

Lutfi is also seeking unspecified damages based on an oral contract he claims he and Britney forged in 2007. The suit states the agreement called for him to serve as Spear’s manager for four years and receive 15 percent of her earnings. He claims the singer confirmed the contract in a text message.

Fat Jessica Simpson: Still Hot?

2009-01-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

Poor Jessica Simpson. Poor, poor Jessica Simpson. On Sunday, she suffered an awe-inspiring fashion meltdown at 99.9 KISS Country's annual Chili Cookoff in Pembroke Pines, Fla., thanks to an igly (definition: several steps beyond ugly) pair of high-waisted jeans, the likes of which haven't marred the sartorial landscape since this hiked-up disaster from a couple years back. The countrified starlet's Urkel-inspired ensemble, with its dastardly powers to destroy instead of enhance her curves, drew a quick reaction from armchair critics, who denounced her tragic trousers as mom jeans and maternity wear, leading mothers and stork-awaiting women everywhere to scoff that they'd never wear anything so monumentally unflattering. Simpson seemed in great spirits despite being shoehorned into her clothes, with escape impossible due to her ill-advised leopard-print double belt. "I am going to see my boyfriend tonight!" she bubbled to the nearly 30,000-strong crowd about her plans to rendezvous in Dallas with her Cowboys quarterback beau, Tony Romo (via People). Later, she introduced her Romo-centric song "You're My Sunday" by gushing, "My boyfriend is a football player, and he takes up my Sundays and now my Mondays. I am sooo happy!"

Mariah's VIP Fury

2009-01-29T07:21:00.000-08:00

Is there anything more amusing than tales of celebrities tossing tantrums and scrambling to score free stuff? Didn't think so.

It's no secret that Mariah Carey requires more maintenance than an orchid growing in the back seat of a vintage Fiat, but the New York Post claims she expected treatment on par with the First Family during the inauguration.

Word is, the chanteuse was "furious" when she learned where she'd have to plant her posterior for the ceremony.

"Mariah was in the VIP area, where every celebrity, like Jon Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Bruce Springsteen, was seated," a snitch alleges to the paper. "But somehow she thought she'd be up with the Obama family. When she realized she wasn't, she bailed."

But Mrs. Nick Cannon, who's winning raves for her de-glammed performance in the Sundance Film Festival fave "Push," regrouped after her supposed snit and performed "Hero" for the president and first lady at the Neighborhood Ball.

Roach Is Confident Again For Manny

2009-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Freddie Roach didn’t waste his time laying out his plan for the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight on May 2 in Las Vegas.

“Knockout,” he told The STAR which caught today’s hottest trainer by phone yesterday noon (Friday evening in Los Angeles).

Roach said that like everybody else, he felt great that the fight, after all the negotiations and some useless debates, is pushing through.

“It’s great. Of course,” Roach said as he walked back to his apartment after closing the doors to his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

It’s time to do the homework.

“We’ll open up training camp on March 1. We’ll get ready, be in shape and take care of this guy,” said Roach.

And probably fight Antonio Margarito later on.

Roach still hasn’t talked to Pacquiao despite persistent attempts on his part. Over the last two weeks he’s been trying.

“Manny hasn’t talked to me yet. I wanted him to know I’m on his side, not like some crooks,” he said without elaborating.

The Pacquiao-Hatton fight, which could be the biggest this year, almost didn’t push through due to disputes on the purse.

Now there’s a deal, and Pacquiao stands to earn as much as $20 million or close to a billion pesos. Hatton will get just a little less.

“Manny had a problem with one thing in the deal but we worked it out,” Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “I massaged something in the deal, which I’m not going to tell you about, but it didn’t cost me anything. We got it done.”

Insiders say that “massage” was worth at least $1 million, giving Pacquiao a guaranteed purse of $13 million and a 52-48 share of everything else.

Roach said the impasse was all part of the game.

“You negotiate first and that’s how it is. It only becomes a deal when everybody is happy,” said Roach.

Pacquiao has won his last nine fights, including great ones against Oscar dela Hoya, David Diaz, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

“And Hatton is the best fight for him right now,” said Roach, who sees Pacquiao catching Hatton in the later rounds..

“Nine is my favorite number,” he said, hinting of a stoppage inside nine rounds.

“Hatton is made for Manny. He’s a tough guy who comes forward. He’s a game guy looking to mug you. That’s the perfect style for Manny,” Roach told The Sweet Science.

“You don’t have to chase Hatton. You don’t have to look for Ricky. You know where he’s going to be. He’s right there in front of you, which is what Manny likes. He likes a guy who wants to try and make it a fight.’’

How To Tell If A Guy Is Cheating

2009-01-28T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here are the surprising signs a dude is being unfaithful:

1. He’s superprotective of his gadgets. “The main way that trysts are found out is through the discovery of incriminating e-mails, IM chats, cell phone texts or bills,” says Belisa Vranich, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in New York City. So if he’s being unfaithful, he may guard his gadgets or act really defensive when you innocently touch his phone or computer. It should be a giant red flag if he readily gave you passwords in the past, and now he’s more evasive.

2. He steps up the grooming. “This is so obvious, but it’s a sign many women miss: If your man starts grooming down there without you requesting it, that could be an indication that he’s spending more time naked,” says Vranich. You can actually thank porn for this tipoff. Guys today are used to viewing manscaped dudes onscreen, so if he has another chick to impress with his sexual prowess, he may emulate those ultra-trimmed guys. Another clue: He’s spending more time at the gym.

3. He smells different. “When he comes home, if he doesn’t smell the same as he did in the morning, and it isn’t the scent of soap in the gym or at your home, it may be because he’s showered at her place,” offers Vranich. So pay attention, because in this case, that old saying “the nose knows” might very well be true.

4. Nothing fazes him anymore. “If he was short-tempered before, a combination of added sex and attention could be making him way more relaxed, even downright giddy,” Vranich says. Adds Mira Kirshenbaum, author of When Good People Have Affairs: Inside the Hearts and Minds of People in Two Relationships: “If your guy is suddenly going around all happy and whistling, then you need to find out why.”

5. He becomes suspicious of you. “If he’s normally a mellow type, all of a sudden he may want to know where you are all the time and with whom,” says Vranich. “It’s the result of him realizing that if he’s cheating and it’s not that hard, you might also be getting away with it.” Also, beware of extremely detailed responses to even your most innocent “How was work today?” queries. He may be preparing epic answers because he’s terrified of getting caught.

One caveat: If your sex life hasn’t fallen off, that’s no guarantee that he’s faithful. “It’s a serious mistake to think that affairs are necessarily sexual. He may just be unhappy in other parts of the relationship,” says Kirshenbaum. In fact, an illicit relationship could even stoke his lust for you.

Monster Data Fraud Hits Job Seekers

2009-01-28T05:43:00.000-08:00

Monster Worldwide Inc, the popular global website for job hunters, said Tuesday that hackers have broken into its databases and stolen personal data.

Monster spokeswoman Nikki Richardson confirmed that sites around the world had been targeted, but said some regions, notably Asia Pacific and eastern Europe, were spared.

She said Monster was working with the "appropriate law enforcement agencies" but declined to say in which countries. In the United States, where the company is based, "an investigation is in progress."

Monster operates in 36 countries with millions of users, including 4.5 million in Britain.

A statement on www.monster.com said: "We recently learned our database was illegally accessed and certain contact and account data were taken, including Monster user IDs and passwords, email addresses, names, phone numbers, and some basic demographic data."

The breach did not access resumes, social security numbers or financial data, Monster said.

The company advised clients to change their password and said it had taken its own "corrective steps."

Hackers could use email addresses to "phish" for further information, the company warned.

This is the second serious data breach at the company in 18 months, according to Computer Weekly magazine.

Earlier this month, payments processor Heartland Payment Systems, based in New Jersey, said that it had suffered a security breach in 2008.

"We found evidence of an intrusion last week and immediately notified federal law enforcement officials as well as the card brands," said Robert Baldwin, Heartland's president in a statement on January 20.

"We understand that this incident may be the result of a widespread global cyber fraud operation and we are cooperating closely with the United States Secret Service and Department of Justice."

The company processes 100 million payment card transactions every month for 175,000 businesses, USA Today daily reported.

Anti-Aging Tips

2009-01-26T04:48:00.000-08:00

Follow these steps then you will see that you're years back younger.

1. Smile Often
Do away with frowning, it is not only pointless but it also causes ugly frown lines.

2. Opt for Tea
There a lot of tea variants that offers various health benefits. Chamomile for example has natural soothing properties that help relieve tension and stress. Best taken at bed time.

3. Use Sunscreen
Make it a habit to wear sun protection factor (SPF) cream or moisturizer and all exposed areas of your body. Long exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can speed up aging.

4. Cut Down on Alcohol
Too much alcohol can dry up your skin and make you look haggard and old. It causes wrinkles too.

5. Eat Right
Load up on vegetables and fruits, beef, chicken, eggs, and milk. These contain natural vitamins that make your skin healthy and give you a youthful glow.

6. Quit Smoking
Smoking is bad for the heart and lungs. It also causes pucker marks around the mouth and squint lines around the eyes that grow deeper with age.

7. Get Enough sleep
Damages on your skin cells are repaired at night when you are asleep. An adult needs about eight hours of sleep everyday. It is also advisable to sleep on your back to avoid getting sleep lines on your face.

8. Practice a Skincare Routine
Cleansing, moisturizing, and toning are basic skin regimen that every woman should practice. They may just be simple skincare routines but the benefits to your skin are countless.

What Makes a Healthy Relationship?

2009-01-26T04:40:00.000-08:00

Hopefully, you and your significant other are treating each other well. Not sure if that's the case? Take a step back from the dizzying sensation of being swept off your feet and think about whether your relationship has these qualities:

Mutual respect. Does he or she get how cool you are and why? (Watch out if the answer to the first part is yes but only because you're acting like someone you're not!) The key is that your BF or GF is into you for who you are — for your great sense of humor, your love of reality TV, etc. Does your partner listen when you say you're not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands — and would never challenge — the other person's boundaries.

Trust. You're talking with a guy from French class and your boyfriend walks by. Does he completely lose his cool or keep walking because he knows you'd never cheat on him? It's OK to get a little jealous sometimes — jealousy is a natural emotion. But how a person reacts when feeling jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other.

Honesty. This one goes hand-in-hand with trust because it's tough to trust someone when one of you isn't being honest. Have you ever caught your girlfriend in a major lie? Like she told you that she had to work on Friday night but it turned out she was at the movies with her friends? The next time she says she has to work, you'll have a lot more trouble believing her and the trust will be on shaky ground.

Support. It's not just in bad times that your partner should support you. Some people are great when your whole world is falling apart but can't take being there when things are going right (and vice versa). In a healthy relationship, your significant other is there with a shoulder to cry on when you find out your parents are getting divorced and to celebrate with you when you get the lead in a play.

Fairness/equality. You need to have give-and-take in your relationship, too. Do you take turns choosing which new movie to see? As a couple, do you hang out with your partner's friends as often as you hang out with yours? It's not like you have to keep a running count and make sure things are exactly even, of course. But you'll know if it isn't a pretty fair balance. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle, with one person fighting to get his or her way all the time.

Separate identities. In a healthy relationship, everyone needs to make compromises. But that doesn't mean you should feel like you're losing out on being yourself. When you started going out, you both had your own lives (families, friends, interests, hobbies, etc.) and that shouldn't change. Neither of you should have to pretend to like something you don't, or give up seeing your friends, or drop out of activities you love. And you also should feel free to keep developing new talents or interests, making new friends, and moving forward.

Good communication. You've probably heard lots of stuff about how men and women don't seem to speak the same language. We all know how many different meanings the little phrase "no, nothing's wrong" can have, depending on who's saying it! But what's important is to ask if you're not sure what he or she means, and speak honestly and openly so that the miscommunication is avoided in the first place. Never keep a feeling bottled up because you're afraid it's not what your BF or GF wants to hear or because you worry about sounding silly. And if you need some time to think something through before you're ready to talk about it, the right person will give you some space to do that if you ask for it.

David Cook To Hit Colleges On U.S. Tour

2009-01-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

"American Idol" champ David Cook is going back to school, announcing a U.S. tour on Friday that will take him to colleges around the nation.

Cook's 37-date tour will begin on February 13 at Florida State University in Tallahassee and end on April 25 at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, AOL music Web site www.PopEater.com said.

Most of the concerts will take place at colleges, including the University of Mississippi and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. But Cook will also play at Seneca Niagara Casino in New York State and Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Missouri.

Cook worked as a bartender while trying to make it in the business before winning "American Idol" in May 2008. He said he was keen to get back to his roots and promote the tradition of college tours.

"There's something inherently nostalgic about playing college shows. So many amazing acts used to do it, so it's nice to be able to bring that ideal back, in some small way," Cook said.

"Besides, touring on a bus beats what we used to do, which was cram five guys into a 7 passenger van for one show, 13 hours away," he added.

The rock singer's self-titled debut album came out in November and won the No. 3 spot on the Billboard charts. It is holding at No. 10 this week.

Cook said the inspiration behind the tour is superstar Irish rock band U2, whom he saw perform at the Super Bowl in 2002. "It was just very poignant," Cook said. "Not overdone, but definitely powerful."

6 Superfoods for Heart Health

2009-01-26T04:29:00.000-08:00

The bad news: Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. The good news: You can reduce your risk by 82 percent if you make the healthy lifestyle choices of being active, not smoking, eating well and managing stress. To help, we've gathered a list of some of the heart-healthiest foods out there. Bonus: They're yummy, too.

Grilled Salmon: The omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish like salmon and trout may reduce your risk of death from coronary artery disease. Experts recommend eating at least two four-ounce servings of fish a week.

Curry: Turmeric, the herb that gives curry powder its color, has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the body. So why should you care? Inflammation has been shown to play a role in the development of heart disease.

Beans: There's a ton of fiber in beans, which can help ward off high cholesterol, a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems. (Black-bean burrito? Yes please!)

Pomegranates: Step aside, green tea! Pomegranate juice has four times the antioxidants of the much-lauded tea. All the better to fight heart disease, my dear.

Dark Greens: Folate, found in foods like broccoli and spinach, can slash your risk of high blood pressure. See, your mom knew what she was talking about.

Olive oil: Everyone loves butter, but in order to keep the richness in your food while also protecting your heart, try frying eggs and sauteing veggies in olive oil instead. The monounsaturated fats will serve your whole body better!

Ring of Fire: Indian Ocean To See Solar Eclipse

2009-01-24T01:59:00.000-08:00

A few lucky people in the Indian Ocean will be treated to a rare event on Monday when an annular solar eclipse will transform the Sun into a dark disc with a blazing ring-shaped corona around its rim.

In solar eclipses, the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on the terrestrial surface.

In an annular eclipse, a tiny shift in distance that results from celestial mechanics means the Moon does not completely cover the Sun's face, as it does in a total eclipse.

Instead, for those directly under the alignment, the Moon covers most of the Sun's surface, and a ring-like crown of solar light blazes from the edge of the disk.

For those watching from the fringe of the track, the Sun is partially obscured, as if a bite has been taken out of it.

According to veteran NASA eclipse-watcher Fred Espenak, the total eclipse track will run from west to east on Monday from 0606 GMT to 0952 GMT.

It will traverse the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia before petering out just short of Mindanao, the Philippines.

The partial eclipse will be seen in a much wider swathe, including the southern third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia, Southeast India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

It will be the only annular solar eclipse this year. The last was on 7 February, 2007, and after Monday, the next one will be on 15 January, 2010.

The big event for eclipse junkies this year is on July 22, when a total solar eclipse will be visible from India and China, the world's two most populous countries.

Hair Brush Solutions

2009-01-24T01:54:00.000-08:00

Half the problem of getting the right style and preventing damage is the type of hairbrush you use. Most damage happens when the hair is wet, and if you detangle with a steel comb, you are probably making most of the damage yourself. Do you have curly hair and no matter how your straighten it, you always have a wave?

Here are some Hair-Brush Solutions:

* When combing wet hair use a big tooth come and detangle your hair from end to root. Try not to touch the root at all.

* For short hair use a Paddington brush with soft protective bristles as you shape and blow dry your hair to your sought after look.

* If you need to tease your hair for a little height, use a pick.

* For medium length straight hair, use a Paddle Brush with soft protective bristles to help you comb out and blow dry your hair.

* For medium length wavy bobs use extra large round brush to blow out the kinks and curls.

* For longhair past your shoulders use a thick, loose toothed brushed or a big round ceramic brush to help you blow dry you long hair straight. Flip the ends out if you want to be a little sassy with the same brush, creating two looks.

Look good, feel better!

Oscar's Worst "Best Pictures"

2009-01-24T01:40:00.000-08:00

Like the Supreme Court and the College of Cardinals, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an exclusive and obscure deliberative body that is prone to its own brand of weirdness. The Academy loves to reward actors who play endearing lunatics and actresses who hag it up for a part. It throws trophies at lavish historical epics and anything about the Holocaust. And for a long time, it had a strange aversion to Martin Scorsese. Though some times the most deserving film took home the top prize -- "Casablanca" won in 1943, "The Godfather" in 1972, and "The Last Emperor" in 1987 -- more often than not the Academy drops the ball. Here are just a few of the Oscar's worst Best Pictures.

Cimarron (1931)
Here is a flick that really hasn't stood the test of time. "Cimarron," a big-budget tale about how the West was won, racked up huge box office earnings and took home the big prize in 1931. So why have you probably not heard of it? It most likely has something to do with the film's ridiculous storylines, hammy acting, and overt racism.

How Green Was My Valley (1941)
John Ford's heart-warming tale about Welsh coal miners has earned the unfortunate notoriety of stealing the Best Picture Oscar from what many call the best movie ever made, "Citizen Kane." In some cinephile circles, the movie is regarded with a distain usually reserved for tobacco lobbyists and banking executives.

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Sure, this epic spectacle was shot in 70mm and featured lots of location footage, which was pretty impressive at the time, but it's also about as deep as the skin on tomato soup. James Dean's final movie "Giant" would be an infinitely better choice.

Rocky (1976)
The Academy couldn't possibly have foreseen "Rocky" IV, V or VI when they handed this film a trophy. That being said, Stallone's pugilist fairy tale seems pretty pale next to its fellow nominees, "Network," "All the President's Men," and of course Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver." Over the years, the Academy developed a fetish for nominating but not rewarding Scorsese's best work.

Ordinary People (1980)
Another example of the Academy hosing Scorsese. "Ordinary People," about emotionally-repressed suburbanites, is a well-crafted, well-acted movie. It just not even in the same ballpark as Marty's savage masterpiece "Raging Bull," a movie that many critics have dubbed the best of film of the 1980s.

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
A well-meaning but muddle-headed Best Picture winner about rich white folk learning a little something about racism by talking to the help. The film's warm and fuzzy Hallmark card version of race relations is particularly galling since Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" -- the actual best pic of the year -- wasn't even nominated.

Dances With Wolves (1990)
In a perfect world, the poor would be fed, the Cubs would win the World Series, and "Goodfellas" would have won Best Picture. Instead, this steaming pile of self-congratulatory new-age twaddle got the nod. Director Kevin Costner went on to make "The Postman" while Scorsese would have to wait sixteen more years before landing the prize in 2006 for "The Departed."

Forrest Gump (1994)
Robert Zemeckis' manipulative, schmaltzy Boomer yarn made piles of cash and wowed about half the critics in the country, but the movie's sentimental platitudes and cheap nostalgia really don't hold a candle to "Pulp Fiction," the most influential and imitated film of the '90s.

Gladiator (2000)
A poor man's "Spartacus" tarted up with lots of CGI. For a director as talented as Ridley Scott, it's hard to understand why the action scenes in "Gladiator" were as incoherent as they were. It was as if the entire editing staff was hopped up on Red Bull and Twinkies. If you want to see better-constructed action scenes in a better movie, check out the flick that should have won, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Crash (2005)
One of the great "What were they thinking?" moments of Oscardom. Instead of choosing the best-reviewed movie of the year -- "Brokeback Mountain" -- the Academy picked this contrived, hectoring paean to liberal guilt. What made Ryan Phillippe shoot that guy? Racism. What made Ludacris jack that car? Racism. What made Sandra Bullock fall down the stairs? Racism. The movie is about as nuanced as a hammer blow to the head, as enjoyable as listening to your parents fight, and about as honest as your average Enron executive.

So this year, will the Academy get it right for a change or will it drop the ball once again? And what Oscar winners of the past do you think had no business taking home the gold?

US-China Ties May Face Shaky Start Under Obama

2009-01-24T01:34:00.000-08:00

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said no nation is more important to the United States than China. But ties between the two powers may be off to a rocky start just days into the Obama administration.

In his inaugural address Tuesday, President Barack Obama spoke of how earlier generations of Americans had "faced down fascism and communism." China's state broadcaster quickly faded out the audio of its live broadcast, the camera cutting back to a flustered studio anchor.

Then, on Thursday, Obama's choice to lead the Treasury Department, Timothy Geithner, wrote that Obama believes China is "manipulating" its currency, which American manufacturers say Beijing does to make its goods cheaper for U.S. consumers and American products more expensive in China.

Geithner's comments could anger Chinese officials, who closely follow U.S. political rhetoric and frequently decry what they consider foreign interference in China's internal affairs. The United States often criticizes China about human rights and trade abuses, but Washington and Beijing find themselves increasingly intertwined in a host of crucial economic, military and diplomatic efforts.

China's foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, said his country was committed to working with the Obama administration to strengthen ties and cooperation.

"China-U.S. relations are one of the most important bilateral relations in the world," the official Xinhua News Agency cited Yang as saying.

Selig Harrison, director of the Asia program at the U.S.-based Center for International Policy, said it was "very ill-advised for the new administration to confront China as if this were 10 years ago and we were in a strong financial position internationally."

"We are dependent on Chinese goodwill for our economic survival and viability, and, therefore, it seems to me that this type of posture is very risky," he said.

Despite an early face-off with China over an intercepted U.S. spy plane, former President George W. Bush made it a priority to strengthen relations with China while also pushing the country to live up to what he considered its duties as an emerging global superpower and a veto-holding member of the U.N. Security Council.

Trade ties between the United States and China often are tense. China says it has made progress on currency changes and worries about bills introduced in Congress that would impose economic sanctions on China unless it moves more quickly to let its currency rise in value against the dollar.

Although Geithner said China is "manipulating its currency," he suggested Thursday that now might not be the right time to brand Beijing as a currency manipulator under U.S. trade law, which could lead to U.S. trade sanctions against imports from China.

His testimony may not have been a complete shock to China. Yang, the foreign minister, has said he studies American television and newspapers. Obama and Clinton, during their long campaigns to secure the Democratic nomination for president, made no secret of their desires for a tougher position with China about its human rights record and its trade practices.

Still, Obama's young administration is not complete: he has yet to name many of the officials who will be dealing with China issues; he also has not yet decided whether to continue the high-level economic discussions the Bush administration has held twice a year with China since late 2006.

Bonnie Glaser, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the Chinese have said during the past few months that they want a good start to their relationship with the new U.S. administration.

"Everybody just needs to be a little patient on this," Glaser said. "I would not draw any premature conclusions that the administration has decided to take a tougher stance, and hopefully the Chinese will be patient while the administration works this out."

Fujitsu Lifebook N6420

2009-01-24T01:29:00.000-08:00

Fujitsu Lifebook N6420 Technical Specifications

* Processor 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200, 667MHz FSB
* Memory 2GB DDR2, 667Mhz
* Harddrive 200GB 4,200rpm SATA x 2
* OS Windows XP MCE
* Weight 9.7 pounds (4.4 kg)
* Screen 17 inches
* Screen resolution 1400x900
* Graphic Card ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
* Battery Life 1.5 hours

Product summary

The good: Includes HD-DVD drive and Core 2 Duo processor; full keyboard with number pad; cheaper than many other HD-DVD laptops.

The bad: Poor battery life; visual optimizer function didn't deliver; could use more RAM and a faster hard drive; lacks DVI-out port.

The bottom line: The Fujitsu LifeBook N6420 is one of the cheaper HD-DVD laptops out there, and it delivers a fine multimedia experience, but its weak battery life means you'll have to keep it anchored to a wall outlet to get through even a single movie.

'Benjamin Button' Leads Oscars With 13 Nominations

2009-01-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

The romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.

Other best-picture nominees are "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

As expected, Heath Ledger had a supporting-actor nomination for "The Dark Knight" on the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. But the Batman blockbuster was shut out for other top categories such as best picture and director.

"Slumdog Millionaire" lived up to its rags-to-riches theme, coming in second with 10 nominations, including a directing spot for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots.

Real-life couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie both will be going to the Oscars as nominees. Jolie had a best-actress nomination for the missing-child drama "Changeling."

The acting categories were loaded with surprises. Kate Winslet won two Golden Globes, best dramatic actress for "Revolutionary Road" and supporting actress for "The Reader." But she was nominated for lead actress at the Oscars for "The Reader" and shut out for "Revolutionary Road."

Actors considered longshots also sneaked in, among lead-actor nominee Richard Jenkins for "The Visitor," best-actress contender Melissa Leo for "Frozen River" and supporting-actor pick Michael Shannon for "Revolutionary Road."

Winslet reunited with "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for "Revolutionary Road," but he also was shut out for a nomination on that film.

Other best-actress nominees were Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married" and Meryl Streep for "Doubt."

Joining Pitt and Jenkins in the best-actor category were Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; and Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."

Other acting snubs included Clint Eastwood for "Gran Torino," Sally Hawkins for "Happy-Go-Lucky" and Kristin Scott Thomas for "I've Loved You So Long."

But perhaps the biggest surprise overall was the so-so results for "The Dark Knight," which had been picking up momentum as one Hollywood trade guild after another picked it as one of the year's best films.

The largest blockbuster in years, "The Dark Knight" had eight nominations, but other than Ledger's honor, its scored only in technical categories such as cinematography, visual effects and editing.

NTC Requires License for Pinoy Online Content Creators

2009-01-22T08:31:00.001-08:00

The Philippine Government is looking to require content licenses for people who create content online. If you blog, write a comment, post pictures on Facebook and Flickr, publish online games, upload ringtones, or any similar activity then you MAY be covered by the broad definition of “contents developers” found in this NTC document. Curiously, the NTC document is also entitled “electronicgames.html“.

A PUBLIC hearing is set for today at the NTC Executive Conference Room, 3rd Floor, NTC Bldg., BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City.

It costs 6,000 pesos to get a license. What do you think?

Mike Abundo also wrote about this content license BS saying “This is the most unenforceable proposal I have ever seen. What are they going to do, require five million Filipino Friendster users to get a license before posting pictures? This proposal clearly comes from the outdated mindset that only corporations can develop content”.

Inauguration of Barack Obama

2009-01-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

U.S. Senator Barack Obama won his bid to become President of the United States of America on November 4, 2008. He was sworn into office on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. (He resigned his senate seat after winning the election.)

Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American to hold this high office.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) was officially formed on November 25, 2008. It was led by five co-chairs: William Daley, Penny Pritzker, John W. Rogers, Patrick Ryan, and Julianna Smoot.

PIC is the committee that was responsible for administering the inaugural events for President-Elect Obama. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) is a non-partisan committee responsible for managing the swearing-in ceremony.

So, roughly, the former committee represents the incoming Obama team and the latter committee is responsible for the orderly transition of government through the swearing in ceremony. Although, both committees certainly work together.

Microsoft To Slash 5,000 Jobs

2009-01-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it is cutting 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months — more than 5 percent of its work force — a sign of how badly even the biggest and richest companies are being stung by the recession.

The layoffs appear to be a first for Microsoft, which was founded in 1975, aside from relatively limited staff cuts the software company made after acquiring companies.

The company announced the cuts as it reported an 11 percent drop in second-quarter profit, which fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Microsoft shares plunged 8 percent in morning trading.

Microsoft said it was being hurt by deteriorating global economic conditions and lower revenue from software for PCs. The holiday quarter of 2008 was the worst the PC market had seen since 2002, with computer shipments declining about a half of 1 percent, according to IDC, a technology research group.

Making matters worse, the one type of PC consumers have warmed to in tight times — the low-cost, low-power "netbook" — actually cut further into Microsoft's earnings, the company said. The tiny portable computers run on Windows XP, which is older and less profitable for Microsoft than Windows Vista.

In a memo to employees released Thursday, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer acknowledged that Microsoft is "not immune to the effects of the economy. Consumers and businesses have reined in spending, which is affecting PC shipments and IT (information technology) expenditures."

Ballmer said Microsoft cut operating expenses by $600 million in the quarter, but that it wasn't enough.

The layoffs, starting with 1,400 on Thursday, will affect workers in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal and corporate affairs, human resources and information technology. Ballmer also said changes would occur in departments that handle support, consulting, operations, billing, manufacturing, and data center operations, but he did not say whether layoffs are planned.

Microsoft won't stop hiring entirely. Ballmer said the company will add new jobs to support "key investment areas" over the next 18 months, so the total number of employees will drop by only 2,000 to 3,000. Microsoft employs 94,000 people overall.

The software maker is also making cuts to travel costs, contractors and vendors, and scaled back a massive expansion to its Redmond, Wash., headquarters.

Microsoft said profit fell to $4.17 billion, or 47 cents per share, from year-ago earnings of $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share.

Total revenue edged up 2 percent to $16.63 billion, as software for corporate computer servers helped offset an 8 percent drop in revenue for PC software.

The results missed Wall Street's forecast for earnings of 49 cents per share on sales of $17.08 billion.

Microsoft said the job cuts will reduce operating costs by $1.5 billion as it prepares for lower revenue and earnings in the second half of the year. The company says it is unable to offer profit and revenue guidance for the rest of the year, because of the market volatility.

Its shares fell $1.57, or 8.1 percent, to $17.81 in morning trading.

Akon Doesn't Know His True Age?

2009-01-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

Even though Akon has a birth certificate, he says his age is still a mystery — and he'd rather keep it that way.

"All it's going to do is depress me," he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I don't want to know I'm getting older. Then I'll start to think about getting checkups and insurance. I don't want that."

Numerous reports have put his age between 25 to 35 years old. In 2006, he gave his age as 25. But now, he claims his birth certificate shows he was born on April 16, 1977, which would make him 31.

Some have accused Akon of trying to push back his age. But the singer, who was born in the United States but spent his early life in Senegal, where his family is from, says he never knew it.

"In Africa ... age is not important over there. They don't care. People only focus on it here (America) and in Europe."

Akon says when people ask, he just gives him a figure that comes to mind.

"I feel like I'm 21 right now," he says. "And I'll be 21 for the next 10 years."

Akon went multiplatinum with his 2006 CD "Konvicted," which included hits such as "Smack That" with Eminem and "Don't Matter." His most recent album, "Freedom," was released in December.

Audi GT3 Sports Car Race Car

2009-01-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

The new Audi GT3 R8 sports car is a race car that will enter into some of the great races of the world sometime next year.

Power for the Audi GT3 has been boosted to 500hp and the engineers digged deep into the technics to conform with GT3 standards. The four-wheel-drive system had to be replaced with a more conventional GT rear-wheel drive system and it is also equipped with a newly developed six-speed sports sequential gear box.

The Audi GT3 is a super sports car indeed.

HP EliteBook

2009-01-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

HP EliteBook Technical Specifications

* Processor 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400
* Memory 3GB DDR2
* Harddrive 120 GB
* OS Microsoft Windows XP Pro
* Weight 3.19 lbs
* Screen 12.1
* Screen resolution 1280 x 800
* Graphic Card Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 MHD

6 Stereotypes Women Have About Men

2009-01-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

I took a lot of random courses in college, but the on of the most random was "Religion and the American Wilderness". This History course was based on the early settlers and their fear of the American wilderness as they pioneered into the unknown. In European folklore, the wilderness represented the unknown and was an extension of mystery, magic, and even evil (see Hansel and Gretel).

In reflection, I realize that the European stereotype of the wilderness mirrors our stereotypes of the opposite gender. In a sense, the opposite gender is the unknown, and it's mysterious.

We spend a lot of time trying to figure out what the opposite gender is thinking and doing. Stereotypes grow out of lack of understanding of a group of people.

Looking back, I realize that my "8 Ways I'm Like a Woman" post was based on stereotype. Men and women fall into the trap of stereotyping one another because they will never truly understand one another-but this mystery also keeps us intrigued.

In this post, I'm going to explore some stereotypes that women have about guys. Then, in the next post, I'll take a look at stereotypes that guys have about women.

What women think about us...

We are all out for sex.
Sadly, sometimes this is true. A lot of guys are after one thing, and they can be very transparent about that. From the time I was in middle school, the older guys talked about conquest and "getting laid" as a measurement for how much of a man I was. This belief is passed down again and again. Luckily, at some point, I figured I'd use other things to define my manhood, or I just didn't care about being a "man" in the eyes of other men.

We like to be in control.
This is an intimidating proposition for single women who are trying to find their way. Tradition states that men are the ones who ask out the women, men choose where to go for the dates during fledgling relationships, and men pay more of the time. Personally, I don't feel like I need to be in control all the time-I like to be in control of my own life, but not other people's lives. Control will always be a major issue in relationships.

We Fear Commitment
I can tell you that I do fear commitment. Commitment means that I've decided that the woman I'm settling down with is perfect and there is no one else out there for me. Commitment means I've found my soul mate, that I am completely secure with myself, and that there should be no going back. I don't know about you, but all of that is pretty heavy. I think the old adage: "girls mature faster than boys" comes into play here. Commitment is a sign of maturity and it just takes some of us longer.

We think we are good in bed.
Men are taught that confidence solves just about anything. You can be making a total mistake, but as long as you're confident it will turn out ok. This may explain why we are so clueless at what we are doing in bed, but we act like we know. I, for one, am the first to admit to a girl that her body/mind mystify me and I am humble before them. The whole time I'm doing stuff, I'm saying to myself: "I hope she likes it..." But I have a feeling that a lot of guys are thinking: "there's on way she doesn't like what I'm doing".

If it weren't for society, we wouldn't change our underwear.
OK, you're right. We wouldn't.

We like big boobs.
Yes, we are fascinated with them-again-because they are the unknown. We don't have them! I know plenty of guys who like big boobs; I like checking out big boobs, but I don't know many guys who have big boobs on their list of requirements for their soul mate. In fact, there are plenty of guys out there that prefer smaller boobs.

What stereotypes do you and your girlfriends have about guys? Are there any that you think are truer than others?

Samsung Behold SGH-T919

2009-01-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

The good: The Samsung Behold has an attractive design with a responsive touch screen. The feature set offers a range of options and call and photo quality meet the mark. Also, T-Mobile's 3G network is lightning fast.

The bad: The Samsung Behold lacks Wi-Fi and its memory card slot is in an inconvenient location. Speakerphone quality was just average and the Web browser wasn't quite up to par.

The bottom line: Though it lacks Wi-Fi, the Samsung Behold is a sleek touch-screen phone with a range of features and an easily understood interface.

Specifications: Band / mode: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) / UMTS 1700/2100 ; Talk time: Up to 300 min ; Combined with: With digital camera

See full specs : CNET Reviews