Saturday, January 22, 2011
CHARITY ALBUM FEATURES STING AND DOWNEY JNR
Beside busy with his big screen projects, Robert Downey Jnr . has also worked on a charity album which is produced by composer Jonathan Elias to benefit anti-nuclear organization Global Zero. The actor joins a number of artists including Sting, Korn's Jonathan Davis and System of a Down's Serj Tankian.
Along with Tankian and Sinead O'Connor, Downey Jr. contributes "Fallout" which was penned by Jim Morrison before his death in 1971. Elias recalled how he got permission to use Morrison's recording from his estate, "I went to the family through their attorneys and told them about this project, and they agreed to license it. Being a Jim Morrison fan, I was pretty excited about it."
Titled "Prayer Cycle 2: Path to Zero", the album is due in the United States on May 10 and becomes a continuation to his 1999 release "The Prayer Cycle". It consists of 7 songs which are about "a little prayer based on having kids these days." The father of two children involves his daughter Lilli to sing in one of the tracks as well.
"Prayer Cycle 2: Path to Zero" tracklisting:
- "Atomic Mother" - Sting, Trudie Styler, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
- "Trinity" - Jonathan Davis, Salif Keita, Hakim
- "Deliverance" - Angelique Kidjo, Richard Bona, Yunghen Lhamo
- "Devotion" - Jon Anderson, Richard Bona, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Dadawa
- "Fallout" - Serj Tankian, Sinead O'Connor, Robert Downey Jr., Jim Morrison
- "Awakening" - the American Boys Choir
- "Many Suns" - Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros), Joanne Shenandoah, Lilli Elias
THE TRICK IS TO FIND THE MAN IN THE COFFEE BEANS
This is bizarre - after you find the guy - it's so obvious.
Once you find him - it's embarrassing, and you think,
'Why didn't I see him immediately?'
Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!
And, yes, the man is really there!!
LANGUAGE TRIVIA … HONEYMOON
The term "honeymoon" is derived from the Babylonians who declared mead, a honey-flavoured wine, the official wedding drink, stipulating that the bride's parents be required to keep the groom supplied with the drink for the month following the wedding.
MOVIE TRIVIA … LAST CINEMA RELEASES
Charles Bronson 1994 Death Wish V
Synopsis:
Paul Kersey (Bronson) returns to vigilantism when his clothing manufacturer fiancee Olivia (Downs) has her business threatened by mobsters, one of whom turns out to be her sadistic ex (Parks). Bronson looks bored with the rehashed material. Lots of explicit and grisly violence.
Richard Burton 1984 1984
Synopsis:
A very fine adaptation of George Orwell's infamous novel, this version differs from the overly simplistic and cautionary 1954 film because of fine casting and production design. The illegal love affair of a government official becomes his attempt to defy the crushing inhumanity and lack of simple pleasures of an omniscient government. Filmed in London, it skillfully visualizes our time's most central prophetic nightmare.
“A STAR IS BORN” VERSION 3
Clint Eastwood has signed up to serve as a helmer for another "A Star Is Born" film, which has Beyonce Knowles attached to portray the main female character. He additionally will produce the musical along with Billy Gerber, Basil Iwanyk and Jon Peters, who made the third version of "A Star Is Born" with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
Clint will direct with the script provided by Will Fetters. And with the "Invictus" director at the helm the upcoming project will be low cost, Deadline Hollywood says. Shooting is expected to start in fall but no male lead is cast yet. Words are, Warner Bros. hopes to pair Beyonce with Will Smith while Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Hamm have been mentioned as the possible lead actor.
WHAT DO THOSE INITIALS STAND FOR? 4
Using single letters in a name has been utilised for many years. But the question always is what do they stand for?
Mel B – Brown
JM Barrie – James Matthew
HE Bates – Herbert Ernest
Mel C – Chisholm
GK Chesterton – Gilbert Keith
FE De Klerk – Frederick Wilhelm
TS Eliot – Thomas Stearns
MAN BAGS ARE HOT EVERYWHERE
The man bag is a hot item to have. Apparently the accessory is becoming so popular, it’s responsible for boosting profits at major designers.
Burberry has reported a 27 percent rise in sales in part due to the man bag. And it seems the item made a popular gift choice in the run up to Christmas. In China and the rest of Asia — where Burberry has a big fan base — men’s accessories are a huge market.
Shoppers from the Middle East, Russia, the rest of Europe and Brazil also helped to drive up sales.
TRIVIA BITS …THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE
The Hanseatic League existed from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. At its height , 150 trading towns and cities in northern Europe were part of the League. It dominated trade on the Baltic and North Atlantic coasts. The name comes from ’hanse’ a word of German origin meaning ‘association’.
GEORGE CLOONEY RECOVERS FROM MALARIA
George Clooney's representative has confirmed the actor is completely recovered from a bout of malaria which he contracted during a recent trip to Sudan. The Oscar-winner revealed during an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan that he fell ill with the mosquito-borne disease earlier this month while filming an initiative to promote democracy in the country.
During the chat, aired in the U.S. on Friday, January 21, the star admitted it was the second time he has been struck down with malaria due to his frequent visits to the war-torn African nation as a leading advocate for refugees. Following the revelation on Morgan's show, speculation has been rife that Clooney is still fighting to regain his health.
Friday, January 21, 2011
KATHRYN GRAYSON SINGS - 1952
Kathryn Grayson Sings - MGM E-551
10" LP – 33RPM
Released 1952
Track Listing
- Jealousy
- Love Is Where You Find It
- All of a Sudden My Heart Sings
- Always
- Lover Come Back to Me
- You Are Love
- Yesterdays
- Will You Remember?
$1.1BILLION “STREETS OF MANACO” YACHT
A LAVISH new yacht recreating the billionaire's playground of Monaco is set to become the world's most expensive.
The staggering 155m Streets of Monaco yacht is expected to cost over $1.1 billion to build and is modelled on a section of Monte Carlo.
Currently in the design stage, the super-ship will feature smaller versions of the state’s famous landmarks such as the Monte Carlo Casino and racetrack, as well as swimming pools, tennis courts, a cinema, a go kart track and a Hotel de Paris.
Instead of traditional decks the one-of-a-kind ship will have buildings, and instead of a swimming platform it will have a beach.
Travellers will also spot waterfalls, a swim-in Jacuzzi-bar, helicopters and submarines on board.
The one-of a kind ship could be home to 16 guests and 70 crew with the main apartment spread over three floors and 445 sq m.
Linking upper and lower living areas is the Atrium – featuring seven guest suites, a bathroom, bedroom, dressing room, reception and balcony.
The idea for the super-boat, designed by Yacht Island Design, was sparked by car racing and developed into something more innovative.
"It is basically a floating city,” company director Rob McPherson said.
"The design theme called for a unique yacht that reflected the style and sophistication of the principality.
"We want to create a truly unique environment that could take the principality of Monaco to the ocean."
The ship will exceed the $1 billion price tag reportedly paid by Roman Abramovich for his Eclipse yacht.
A second creation by Yacht Island Design will be a smaller 85-metre yacht based on a Pacific Island theme.
LANGUAGE TRIVIA ... ANAGRAMS
Anagrams – rearranging people’s names in a very creative way.
Florence Nightingale – ‘Flit on cheering angel”
Roald Amundsen – ‘laud’d Norseman’
Madame Currie – radium came
Clint Eatswood – Old West Action
Dwight D Eisenhower – Wow! He’s right indeed
Indira Ghandi - had Indian rig
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – won half the new world’s glory
Ronald Regan – an oral danger
Dante Gabriel Rosetti – greatest idealist born
William Shakespeare – I ask me, has Will a peer?
Margaret Thatcher – great charm threat
Mary Whitehouse – I may rue the show
BOY GEORGE RETURNS RELIGIOUS ARTEFACT
Boy George has returned a stolen religious artefact to the Church of Cyprus 26 years after he bought it at auction. The pop star was stunned to learn the Christ icon he picked up at a London art sale in 1985 was taken from the church during the Turkish invasion a decade before.
After the recent discovery, the "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" singer did not hesitate to give the item back. He tells the BBC the icon is now housed in a church in the village of New Chorio-Kythrea.
REMINISCING … CORNEL WILDE
Cornel Wilde - an American actor and film director.
He had several small film roles until he played the role of Frédéric Chopin in 1945's A Song to Remember, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1945 he also starred in A Thousand and One Nights with Evelyn Keyes. He spent the rest of the decade appearing in romantic and swashbuckling films, but he also appeared in some significant films noirs, opposite Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Road House (1948) and Shockproof (1949), the latter film also starring his then wife Patricia Knight.
In the 1950s, Wilde created his own film production company and produced the film noir The Big Combo (1955). Wilde played the male lead alongside his second wife Jean Wallace. That same year, he appeared in an episode of I Love Lucy as himself. In 1957, he played the role of the 13th century Persian poet Omar Khayyam in the film Omar Khayyam.
He produced, directed, and starred in The Naked Prey (1966), in which he played a naked man being tracked by hunters from an African tribe affronted by the behaviour of members of a safari party.
WHAT DO THOSE INITIALS STAND FOR? 3
Using single letters in a name has been utilised for many years. But the question always is what do they stand for?
PL Travers – Pamela Lyndon
HG Wells – Herbert George
FW Woolworth – Frank Winfield
PG Wodehouse – Pelham Grenville
WB Yeats – William Butler
F Murray Abraham – Fahrid
WH Auden – Wystan Hugh
TRIVIA BITS … LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
The first Allied troops to enter Damascus upon its ‘liberation’ from ottoman rule were the forces of the Arab Revolt under the leadership of Emir Faisal. The principal British officer in their ranks was T. E. Lawrence better known as Lawrence of Arabia. He recounted his adventure in the book ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’.
ANNE HATHAWAY TO PLAY CATWOMAN
Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, will feature Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.
Hathaway beat out actresses including Keira Knightley and Jessica Biel for the role. Hathaway will star opposite Christian Bale, who reprises his role as Gotham City's hero. The latest Batman flick will open in summer 2012.
Hathaway steps into a role that's been played by actresses including Eartha Kitt, Julie Newmar, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Halle Berry.
SKIING IS MORE DEADLY THAN SNOWBOARDING
According to a new study, skiing is a far more dangerous sport than snowboarding.
Research for the National Ski Areas Association in America found that skiers are less likely to have accidents on the slopes than snowboarders — but are more likely to die. The experts say skiers travel faster and are more vulnerable to smashing into trees, poles and fences.
Snowboarders are a third less likely than skiers to be killed on the slopes, but snowboarders are 50 to 70 per cent more likely to get injured.