Saturday, December 11, 2010
PALTROW TO GET HOLLYWOOD STAR
Gwyneth Paltrow will be honoured with the 30th and final star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010. The Oscar winner's "Country Strong" co-star Tim McGraw will induct her into the famous pavement when Paltrow unveils the 2,427th star on Monday, December 13. Paltrow's star will be placed outside Madame Tussauds Hollywood.
In 20 years of her career in Hollywood, the actress who married Coldplay front man Chris Martin has appeared in numerous movies and stage plays. The 38-year-old won an Oscar for her role in "Shakespeare in Love". She starred in mega box office hit "Iron Man" and its sequel before landing a role in drama musical "Country Strong". She trained herself to play the guitar in order to portray a country singer and even braved herself to perform on the stage of 2010 Country Music Association Awards.
MOVIE POSTERS
Director: John Sturges
Released: USA - 9 February 1955
Stars: Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland and Richard Egan
Running time: 99 mins
Director: Robert Stevenson
Released : USA - 8 October 1949
Stars: Robert Ryan, Laraine Day and John Agar
Running time: 73 Minutes
Was released under the title “The Woman on Pier 13” – “I Married a Communist” was the pre-release title.
Director: Alfred Santell
Release Date: USA - 2 July 1944
Stars: William Bendix, Susan Hayward and John Loder
Running time : 92 minutes
HAGMAN HEADS TO WISTERIA LANE
Former "Dallas" star Larry Hagman is heading to Wisteria Lane. He's signed up to film a cameo appearance in "Desperate Housewives", despite never having seen an episode of the hit show.
The veteran actor has confirmed he will play a love interest of Felicity Huffman's character's mum Stella Wingfield, played by Polly Bergen. He tells The Hollywood Reporter, "I just decided (to do it), and am going to shoot next week."
THIS WORLD … DOORS
“I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them.”
Elizabeth Taylor
WINTER MAKES US SLEEP AND EAT MORE
People are entering hibernation mode as the cold weather grips nations in the Northern Hemisphere.
A study of 3,000 adults found that we sleep two and a half hours extra each night to cope with the long, dark evenings. We also end up eating an extra 683 calories a day.
A quarter of adults sleep for 10 hours in winter, compared with seven-and-a-half hours in spring and summer.
Women are affected more than men, with 15 percent saying they’re in bed by 8pm as the nights draw in. Women also confess to eating more than their male counterparts during winter with nearly three-quarters admitting to gorging an additional 750 calories a day.
THIS WORLD … SNOW FLAKES
A micrograph or photomicrograph is a photograph or similar image taken through a microscope or similar device to show a magnified image of an item. Canadian inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden is credited with inventing photomicrography. A microphotograph is a very small picture.
from Popular Mechanic
Snowflake Photomicrographs c 1922
Wilson Bentley 1866 – 1931
SARANDON & DAVIS REUNITE FOR ‘THELMA AND LOUISE’ ANNIVERSARY
Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis reunited last week to shoot a Thelma & Louise 20th-anniversary photo spread for Vanity Fair. The issue is set to hit stands next year, to coincide with the 1991 film’s anniversary.
JOLIE AUCTIONS MOVIE MEMORABILIA
Fans of Angelina Jolie are set for a bumper Christmas if they can spare a few thousand dollars at a Hollywood auction next week. Auction house Profiles in History has a treasure trove of the Tomb Raider's memorabilia set to go under the hammer at a winter sale.
The top item is a visual effects Triangle of Light from "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider", which is expected to fetch up to $8,000. Also up for sale at the auction are Jolie's live firing Sig 232 pistol, costume and stunt handcuffs from "Salt".
JEGGINGS ARE REALLY, REALLY POPULAR
Jeggings, leggings made from denim and Lycra, are a bright spot in the apparel industry this holiday.
At J.C. Penney, jeggings are ranked as a top 10 trend in its women’s and juniors clothing departments.
At Target, demand has doubled over the past year. Levi’s has racked up such success with jeggings that the company is expanding the line this spring to zippered and acid-washed.
While the women’s jean market was flat for the past year, sales of jeggings have more than doubled to $178 million.
Friday, December 10, 2010
THE YEAR’S TOP ONLINE SEARCHES ON YAHOO
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of the Mexico was the most-searched item on Yahoo! this year. The first time that a news item was Number One instead of a celebrity since the yearly round-up began 10 years ago. In second place was the World Cup soccer championship in South Africa, with celebrity-related searches taking all the other top 10 spots except one. Here’s the rundown:
1. BP oil spill
2. World Cup in South Africa
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Kim Kardashian
5. Lady Gaga
6. iPhone
7. Megan Fox
8. Justin Bieber
9. American Idol
10. Britney Spears
ADAM ANT TO TOUR
Troubled pop star Adam Ant is bouncing back from his recent health woes - he's hitting the road for a series of concerts. The "Prince Charming" hitmaker, real name Stuart Goddard, was reportedly sectioned in May, just a week after he performed a shambolic, expletive-strewn show at a church in south England.
But the '80s new wave rocker has recovered from his recent setback and has announced two gigs in London later this month. He also plans to confirm more shows in the New Year, and has named his trek with a tongue-in-cheek reference to his troubles - it's called The Good, The Mad, and The Lovely World Tour.
IKEA CATS ADVERT
How innovative. Really catches the feline nuances in exploring a territory and then making it their own!
COLOUR MY WORLD
Petula Clark sang:
Oh, you can colour my world with sunshine yellow each day!
Oh, you can colour my world with happiness all the way!
Just take the green from the grass and the blue from the sky up above!
And if you colour my world just paint it with your love!
Just colour my world.
PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
Few days before unleashing a trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", Walt Disney Pictures has given away the first stills from the movie. Debuted by USA Today, one of the photos features Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow being dragged by two men in uniforms. The other image has the eccentric pirate and Penelope Cruz's Angelica soaking on a swamp.
This fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" film begins as Sparrow is ordered by King George II (Richard Griffiths) to seek the Fountain of Youth. He then recruits Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa, his old nemesis, to join the mission. Along the way, he will meet a friendly mermaid (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) and be tempted by a wicked former flame, Angelica, and her sadistic father, Ian McShane's Blackbeard.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" will be the first film of "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise shot in 3-D. Rob Marshall serves behind the lens for the May 19, 2011 release in Australia. The first trailer for the upcoming action comedy movie will be available for viewing pleasure on December 13.
WOMEN SPEND OVER $300 ON HOLIDAY OUTFITS
Women will reportedly spend $322 on themselves over the next month to make sure they look their best at holiday parties.
The study of 3,000 women revealed an average of $119 will be spent on a new dress or outfit, while a further $64 will go to new shoes.
Accessories such as jewellery and bags add another $49 to the total, while getting hair and make-up done accounts for $55. The study also found one in five women will buy a new outfit for every party or event they have to attend over the season.
$80K TO MEET ROBERT PATTINSON
Having a lot of money will give a privilege for a fan of Robert Pattinson to meet his/her idol. ET Online reports one devotee has won a bid for a meet-and-greet with the Brit star, spending a whopping $80,000 on Wednesday, October 8.
The prize was offered on www.CharityBuzz.com to raise funds for the GO Campaign, "a non-profit group that supports grassroots projects for orphans and vulnerable children globally." The $80,000 bid sets a record as the highest bid ever for the GO Campaign.
The lucky fan will travel with three companions to Vancouver where they will be hosted at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel. From there, they will travel by limo to "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn" set where they will meet Pattinson who is currently filming the movie.
ARETHA FRANKLIN FIGHTS CANCER
Legendary superstar Aretha Franklin has been fighting a secret battle with pancreatic cancer, according to reports. The Queen of Soul's health has been under scrutiny since she revealed last week she had undergone "successful" surgery in a hospital in Detroit, Michigan to treat a mystery ailment.
She refused to share details about the cause of her illness, but thanked fans for their support after the operation on Thursday, December 2. In a statement she said, "The surgery was highly successful. God is still in control. I had superb doctors and nurses whom were blessed by all the prayers of the city and the country. God bless you all for your prayers!"
FIVE WEIRD OSCAR HOSTS
Still scratching your head over the pairing of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as the hosts of the 2011 Academy Awards? Whether it's genius or madness, it's not the weirdest pick the Oscars have ever made; in fact, in the years before Billy Crystal turned Oscar-hosting into a high-profile, much-discussed position, the Academy chose some very eclectic selections to preside over the industry's most important night. Here are five odd Oscar-hosting decisions that make the Franco-Hathaway gig look positively ordinary.
Paul Hogan
Will it be awkward for James Franco to host the show the same year he's expected to receive an Oscar nomination? At least a precedent has been set: In 1987, Paul Hogan co-hosted the ceremony and he, too, was up for an Oscar that night. Yes, that Paul Hogan. Yes, the star of Crocodile Dundee and noted tax dodger. Yes, he began his hosting patter with "G'day, viewers." Alas, Hogan lost in the Best Original Screenplay category to Woody Allen.
Donald Duck
Animated characters often make a cameo at the Oscars (think of the tuxedo-clad Pixar characters who turn up when the nominees for Best Animated Film are called), but in 1957, Donald Duck was an actual co-host, appearing at the ceremony on film. Like Franco and Hathaway, Donald proved that the Academy is quick to reward actors who frequently go bottomless.
Bob Hope, David Niven, Tony Randall, Mort Sahl, Laurence Olivier, Jerry Lewis
Why have one Oscar host when you can have six? In 1959, the ceremony went with the odd combination of five funnymen and the dead-serious Olivier. Even with six hosts, the ceremony finished twenty minutes early — a near-inconceivable feat in the modern-day era of bloated award shows — and NBC had to cut to a sports rerun to fill the dead air.
Frank Capra
When the Oscars were in their infancy, there wasn't any conventional wisdom on who should host (nor was there a telecast to worry about), and so it was that one of the biggest directors of the era, Frank Capra, ended up presiding over the eighth Academy Awards in 1936. It may have been a good career move: Capra had taken home the Best Director award the year before for It Happened One Night, and he got another one the following year for Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Capra also hosted the first ceremony where the trophies were actually dubbed "Oscars," a nickname that became officially enshrined three years later.
No Hosts
The Oscar-hosting gig might be a prestigious one, but for three of the most pivotal years in American history, no one took it. From 1969 to 1971, the Oscars went host-less (this, after a four-year run from Bob Hope), meaning no one was around to comment on unlikely victories like Midnight Cowboy's X-rated triumph or the 1969 Best Actress tie between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand. The ceremony has forgone a host only once since; unfortunately, it was in 1989, when the show instead opened with a famously misbegotten musical number starring Rob Lowe and Snow White. (At least the Oscars recovered quickly: The next year, Billy Crystal hosted for the first time.)
JUST FOR FUN …
There is no Guinness World Record for the number of people in a phone box but a BBC news report claims the record is 16, set in Pennan Scotland in March 2007
COACHES GET ANGRY!
At many sports, the fans are often accused of being angry and vocal about their favourite team not doing what they are supposed to do!
But … are fans the worst?? What about the coaches?