(Clicca sulle immagini per vederle in HQ)

“Sfatto e Rantolante” è il mio status del fine settimana dopo Muccassassina, e sto fine settimana è stato più “Sfatto e Rantolante degli altri”. Voglioso di inverno, gelo, neve e vento ghiacciato in faccia, mi sono reso conto che la mia camera era tutto, tranne che natalizia. Ed io che sono più natalizio di un puntale (e qualcuno ha detto che mi sento puntale solo per un motivo in particolare), ho deciso che Natale sarebbe arrivato domenica!

Ho preso lo scatolone da sotto al letto per vedere che cosa di natalizio ci fosse. L’unica cosa natalizia era il centro tavola fatto lo scorso anno con pizzi, Swarosky, palline da discoteca in miniatura e lucette. Eccessivo ma non esuberante come il Natale che alberga tutto l’anno nella mia testa. Ancora in pigiama sono sceso al volo al negozio dei cinesi; ho comprato due serie di luci e sono tornato a casa.

Ho preso la scala e mi sono arrampicato sulla tenda dove ho attaccato le serie per creare una mini cascata di luci. Rischiando la morte per essere salito sulla scala in ciabatte scivolose, ho sistemato la camera, piazzato candele ovunque, messo in loop in cd di Mariah Carey ed il Natale finalmente l’ho sentito in me, forte come tanto tempo fa.

It’s Christmas Time!

She needs to start on other tracks like “More Than Just Friends” or “Standing O.”

One hundred women were asked to carry a clicker in an experiment to measure how many times they felt anxiety about their bodies ageing. Over a seven day period, the women aged 35 to 69 had to use the clicker every time they worried about their face, body, or appearance in general. On average, the women surveyed had negative thoughts 36 times a day. One of the participants, Loose Women presenter Sherrie Hewson, 59, said: “It brought to the fore how many women have issues. “Listening to others, they are saying what I’m saying when you think it’s only you. “There are so many of us there’s got to be a common denominator, so we’ve got to get together and change it, change us.” Sherrie, who had a facelift ten years ago, clicked 1,400 times over seven days but admitted she thought it would be more. In her waking hours, she experienced a negative thought about herself approximately every three minutes.

“When I look in the mirror, my overriding thought is: “I don’t know this person.” I wake up to this face, and I feel as though it’s someone else’s. All I see in the mirror is age creeping up on me. “The worst time for me in terms of clicking was the morning. “Just getting up, I’d look in the mirror at my face and hair and think: “Oh dear, now that’s a worry.” I’d click as I put my make-up on, but the more make-up I applied the less I clicked, and by the time my “face” was complete I’d have stopped clicking. “I’d also click whenever I saw images of myself as a young actress, which happens from time to time. Just seeing how I used to look would remind me I was getting older.” The study was devised by keep-fit instructor Irene Estry and psychologist Emma Kenny to see if a looks-obsessed society creates ageism and pressure to stay youthful.

I’m A Celebrity: Katie Price dumps Alex Reid live on air… hours after he flies to Australia to propose

It’s perhaps not the most tactful way to end a relationship, but Katie Price ensured maximum exposure when she dumped boyfriend Alex Reid live on air last night. The cagefighter had just landed in Australia after flying thousands of miles to see his girlfriend of four months, who was competing on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. He planned to propose. Instead Katie summoned him to her hotel room and told him she was fed up with him ‘making money from her’ and then went on live TV to tell the nation.

The former glamour model left the I’m A Celebrity jungle two weeks early on Sunday after the public kept forcing her to endure ‘bushtucker trials’.

But despite this, she will forfeit just £100,000 from her  £350,000 appearance fee, and is expected to make as much as £1million in magazine, advertising and television deals. Last night presenters Ant and Dec spoke to her live on air for the first time since her departure. Miss Price said she had done a ‘lot of reflection in the jungle’, adding ‘I realised it was best if I’m on my own. I don’t want a relationship.’

When asked if Alex was still her boyfriend she said: ‘I’m not with him’. Sources close to the star said Alex was booked into the five star hotel Palazzo Versace on the Australian Gold Coast, where Jordan has stayed since her departure from the show. But on his arrival the concierge had refused to tell him which room she was in. The source said: ‘An hour before she appeared on air Jordan summoned him and told him it was over. ‘She was fed up with him making money from her. Friends say he is devastated.’

Miss Price warned producers about her announcement just minutes before filming started. The brunette also confessed to viewers that she had behaved terribly since her split from Peter Andre. She told Ant and Dec: ‘I’ve come out a better person. For seven months I’ve acted like a right twit. I’m sorry if I’ve upset people. She added that the jungle had brought back ‘amazing memories’ of her former husband. I didn’t want to be in there without Pete,’ she said.

Describing the reason for her decision, she added: ‘Lots of things have happened. Lots of things shouldn’t have happened. I can’t live my life by everybody else.’ Miss Price told Ant and Dec that the jungle experience had left her ’so much happier’. It made me reflect on my past. It made me realise I probably did act a right fool behaving the way I did,’ she said. Viewers watching ITV2’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now… saw Katie greeted by her friend Michelle Heaton as she left the jungle. Katie hugged Michelle and asked her for ‘any goss’.

Michelle told her Alex ‘was supposed to be coming over to propose to you. We think live on TV. Listen – you know how we all feel.’ Katie asked: ‘As a friend what would you tell me to do right now?’ Michelle told her: ‘You need to get rid of him baby. I’ve told you.’ Earlier as Alex boarded his flight to Australia he told waiting reporters: ‘I’m definitely asking her to marry me. ‘One idea is I make the proposal in front of the cameras on the show. But whatever happens I know this is right. I’ve never felt this way before.’ But it seems Katie didn’t share his feelings.

Breaking up: Alex Reid said Katie was everything he has ever wanted, but she told him to stop using her to make money

Earlier she told her fellow campmates: ‘Being in camp has been closure in my head, I’m 100per cent not a bad person, I just want to be with my children, they are my life.’ And she said the repeated trials had been very tough. The challenges every day have been really hard for me, I would tackle anything that comes my way …..I’ve pushed myself and fed the camps. It doesn’t bother me whether I’m first out or second, third, I came here for a different reason.’ The other celebrities were all shocked by her decision. Former Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning said: ‘I thought she’d stick with it until she was voted out or voted queen of the jungle.’ Kim said: ‘I liked her. She was a gutsy broad.’

Two Idiotic reactions to freezing weather: [Don't try these at home]

1) This is a true story about John Porter, from New York State, USA, whose pipes in his home froze one winter. Anxious to unfreeze them, Mr Porter backed his car up to an open window so that the exhaust would warm up the house. A little while later and Porter, his wife and their three children had to be rushed to hospital suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

2) George Gibbs, from Columbus, Ohio, suffered second-degree burns on his head.  This is what happened one freezing cold winter morning.  Unable to start his car, George diagnosed the problem as a frozen fuel line which he thought he could correct by running warm petrol through it.  He then tried to heat a two-gallon can of petrol on his gas stove in the kitchen.  Ah…..Bless

Mariah Carey’s diva-style behaviour on GMTV is revealed by Kate Garraway

She insisted on bringing her own butterfly-shaped confetti to the X Factor and left the normally affable television host Phillip Schofield furious with her lateness. And now presenter Kate Garraway has revealed more of Mariah Carey’s diva-style behaviour following the singer’s appearance on GMTV. Miss Garraway, 42, said the star – the world’s best-selling female artist – stunned producers by having two people to lower her on to the famous GMTV sofa.

She said the singer also had an entourage watching to ensure she was being filmed at her best angle and brought her own toilet roll to the studios. The blonde host, who has this month returned to work on the ITV breakfast programme after having her second child, son Billy, said: ‘We had Mariah Carey in the GMTV studios last week, where she was pre-recording an interview with Lorraine Kelly. ‘I’ve heard a lot of rumours about her being a diva over the years and guess what? It turns out it’s all true!’ Miss Garraway added: ‘While Mariah was very nice, the amount of people she had in her entourage was hilarious. ‘They outnumbered the entire GMTV crew! She had two people to lower her on to the GMTV sofa, in case her dress got crushed, one person to walk in front of her backwards at all times in case she fell over and several people behind the camera making sure she was going to be filmed from the right angle! ‘Have you ever heard anything like it? Oh, and she brought her own toilet roll as well.’

The presenter’s claims come after Miss Carey, 39, and her management made a host of demands to open Westfield shopping centre’s Christmas Wonderland last week. More than 14 million watched as the star performed her new single, I Want To Know What Love Is, on the X Factor on Sunday night. Some viewers questioned whether Miss Carey, who had pre-recorded her performance, was singing live. One fan said: ‘How bad is her miming?! A “superstar” that has to mime, what a disgrace!’.'Another viewer said: ‘Yes, she was miming. You see it well in the part where she took the mic off the stand in the middle of her singing and the voice didn’t change.’ However, an X Factor spokeswoman insisted that Miss Carey had sung live as well as using a backing track. The star recently claimed she is not a diva, despite admitting her dogs have their own entourage. The singer said she had insisted on having assistants on hand for her Jack Russell pooches Cha Cha and JJ while filming a recent commercial, insisting: ‘My puppies are starring in this ad with me, too. ‘I had my team with me but the pups had a mini entourage of their own, of course! And why wouldn’t they? It was a big shoot and even my entourage had an entourage – my stylist had an assistant, my security had extra security. ‘The shoot was based on the fact that some people think I’m a demanding diva. I have no idea why people have that impression!’ The ‘Fantasy’ singer has previously admitted to feeling baffled by her ‘demanding’ reputation. She said: ‘I am baffled, shocked and appalled when I am called a diva. I’ve never done one diva-ish thing in my life. The actual definition of a diva is a woman who sings well. The secondary definition is a woman who is difficult to deal with. I hope I am the first, but I really don’t think I am the second. I don’t believe I am truly nasty and act in a bad way.’ Miss Garraway was not in the studio at the same time as Miss Carey and her entourage. However a source close to the presenter said: ‘Kate got in shortly afterwards and the place was abuzz with what had happened. It was not so much Mariah, as she points out – but her entourage.’ Miss Carey’s spokeswoman called Miss Garraway’s claims a ‘clear, gross exaggeration’. She said: ‘With regards to the “entourage”, every star of Mariah’s calibre is surrounded by a working team and Mariah doesn’t actually have any more people working with her than any other major star.’

The car was once part of a fleet used by the Nazi leader in his travels across Europe during the Second World War. The midnight blue 770 K model car was locked away in a collector’s garage in Bielefeld along with seven other vehicles used by Nazi leaders. Michael Froehlich, a Duesseldorf car dealer, said he brokered the deal for the unnamed billionaire, who also bought the other vehicles in the collection. Included among the collection was an identical Mercedes once owned by Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi foreign minister who was hanged at Nuremberg for war crimes. After the Second World War the car travelled the world, first going to Austria, then to a car museum in Las Vegas, then back across the ocean to a brewery tycoon in Munich and finally to the anonymous collector in the British army garrison town of Bielefeld. Mr Froelich turned up the car’s original papers and repair logs and matched the licence plate number – 1A 148461 – to photos of Hitler in the car.

In a festive red scarf, Susan Boyle looked like all her Christmases had come at once as she was greeted by thousands of fans in the United States yesterday. A huge crowd stood in New York’s freezing Rockefeller Plaza waiting for their idol, left, to sing live on The Today Show, which was broadcast to millions across America. Just seven months after her debut on ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, the 48-year-old is a global star who can pull in crowds as big as any other chart-topper in the music business. “I’ve grown up a bit. I’ve become more of a lady,” she joked with the TV show’s host Matt Lauer, “I don’t swivel my hips as much, you know?” Yesterday, her 12-song debut CD, I Dreamed A Dream, went on sale after recording the biggest ever pre-sales for a CD online. This month alone, Susan has sold more advance copies than U2, Bruce Springsteen or Coldplay did with any of their albums.

‘Body sold’ to Russia kebab shop

Police in Russia have arrested three homeless men suspected of killing a man, eating part of the body and selling other parts to a kebab shop.

The men were held in the city of Perm, some 1,400km (870 miles) east of Moscow, local investigators said.

Their statement said that the suspects had targeted the 25-year-old victim out of “personal hostility”. It was not clear when the incident occurred. The men – who have not been named – have been charged with murder. The investigators said on Friday that the body of the man had been found in a forested area near a public transport stop in Perm. They said the three men attacked their victim with knives and a hammer. “After carrying out the attack, the corpse was dismembered. Part of it was eaten and part was also sold to a kebab and pie kiosk,” their statement said.It was not immediately clear if any customers had been served.

Famous paintings recreated with espresso by Karen Eland

View More Of Karens Work

One hundred women were asked to carry a clicker in an experiment to measure how many times they felt anxiety about their bodies ageing. Over a seven day period, the women aged 35 to 69 had to use the clicker every time they worried about their face, body, or appearance in general. On average, the women surveyed had negative thoughts 36 times a day. One of the participants, Loose Women presenter Sherrie Hewson, 59, said: “It brought to the fore how many women have issues. “Listening to others, they are saying what I’m saying when you think it’s only you. “There are so many of us there’s got to be a common denominator, so we’ve got to get together and change it, change us.” Sherrie, who had a facelift ten years ago, clicked 1,400 times over seven days but admitted she thought it would be more. In her waking hours, she experienced a negative thought about herself approximately every three minutes.

“When I look in the mirror, my overriding thought is: “I don’t know this person.” I wake up to this face, and I feel as though it’s someone else’s. All I see in the mirror is age creeping up on me. “The worst time for me in terms of clicking was the morning. “Just getting up, I’d look in the mirror at my face and hair and think: “Oh dear, now that’s a worry.” I’d click as I put my make-up on, but the more make-up I applied the less I clicked, and by the time my “face” was complete I’d have stopped clicking. “I’d also click whenever I saw images of myself as a young actress, which happens from time to time. Just seeing how I used to look would remind me I was getting older.” The study was devised by keep-fit instructor Irene Estry and psychologist Emma Kenny to see if a looks-obsessed society creates ageism and pressure to stay youthful.

I’m A Celebrity: Katie Price dumps Alex Reid live on air… hours after he flies to Australia to propose

It’s perhaps not the most tactful way to end a relationship, but Katie Price ensured maximum exposure when she dumped boyfriend Alex Reid live on air last night. The cagefighter had just landed in Australia after flying thousands of miles to see his girlfriend of four months, who was competing on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. He planned to propose. Instead Katie summoned him to her hotel room and told him she was fed up with him ‘making money from her’ and then went on live TV to tell the nation.

The former glamour model left the I’m A Celebrity jungle two weeks early on Sunday after the public kept forcing her to endure ‘bushtucker trials’.

But despite this, she will forfeit just £100,000 from her  £350,000 appearance fee, and is expected to make as much as £1million in magazine, advertising and television deals. Last night presenters Ant and Dec spoke to her live on air for the first time since her departure. Miss Price said she had done a ‘lot of reflection in the jungle’, adding ‘I realised it was best if I’m on my own. I don’t want a relationship.’

When asked if Alex was still her boyfriend she said: ‘I’m not with him’. Sources close to the star said Alex was booked into the five star hotel Palazzo Versace on the Australian Gold Coast, where Jordan has stayed since her departure from the show. But on his arrival the concierge had refused to tell him which room she was in. The source said: ‘An hour before she appeared on air Jordan summoned him and told him it was over. ‘She was fed up with him making money from her. Friends say he is devastated.’

Miss Price warned producers about her announcement just minutes before filming started. The brunette also confessed to viewers that she had behaved terribly since her split from Peter Andre. She told Ant and Dec: ‘I’ve come out a better person. For seven months I’ve acted like a right twit. I’m sorry if I’ve upset people. She added that the jungle had brought back ‘amazing memories’ of her former husband. I didn’t want to be in there without Pete,’ she said.

Describing the reason for her decision, she added: ‘Lots of things have happened. Lots of things shouldn’t have happened. I can’t live my life by everybody else.’ Miss Price told Ant and Dec that the jungle experience had left her ’so much happier’. It made me reflect on my past. It made me realise I probably did act a right fool behaving the way I did,’ she said. Viewers watching ITV2’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now… saw Katie greeted by her friend Michelle Heaton as she left the jungle. Katie hugged Michelle and asked her for ‘any goss’.

Michelle told her Alex ‘was supposed to be coming over to propose to you. We think live on TV. Listen – you know how we all feel.’ Katie asked: ‘As a friend what would you tell me to do right now?’ Michelle told her: ‘You need to get rid of him baby. I’ve told you.’ Earlier as Alex boarded his flight to Australia he told waiting reporters: ‘I’m definitely asking her to marry me. ‘One idea is I make the proposal in front of the cameras on the show. But whatever happens I know this is right. I’ve never felt this way before.’ But it seems Katie didn’t share his feelings.

Breaking up: Alex Reid said Katie was everything he has ever wanted, but she told him to stop using her to make money

Earlier she told her fellow campmates: ‘Being in camp has been closure in my head, I’m 100per cent not a bad person, I just want to be with my children, they are my life.’ And she said the repeated trials had been very tough. The challenges every day have been really hard for me, I would tackle anything that comes my way …..I’ve pushed myself and fed the camps. It doesn’t bother me whether I’m first out or second, third, I came here for a different reason.’ The other celebrities were all shocked by her decision. Former Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning said: ‘I thought she’d stick with it until she was voted out or voted queen of the jungle.’ Kim said: ‘I liked her. She was a gutsy broad.’

Two Idiotic reactions to freezing weather: [Don't try these at home]

1) This is a true story about John Porter, from New York State, USA, whose pipes in his home froze one winter. Anxious to unfreeze them, Mr Porter backed his car up to an open window so that the exhaust would warm up the house. A little while later and Porter, his wife and their three children had to be rushed to hospital suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

2) George Gibbs, from Columbus, Ohio, suffered second-degree burns on his head.  This is what happened one freezing cold winter morning.  Unable to start his car, George diagnosed the problem as a frozen fuel line which he thought he could correct by running warm petrol through it.  He then tried to heat a two-gallon can of petrol on his gas stove in the kitchen.  Ah…..Bless

Mariah Carey’s diva-style behaviour on GMTV is revealed by Kate Garraway

She insisted on bringing her own butterfly-shaped confetti to the X Factor and left the normally affable television host Phillip Schofield furious with her lateness. And now presenter Kate Garraway has revealed more of Mariah Carey’s diva-style behaviour following the singer’s appearance on GMTV. Miss Garraway, 42, said the star – the world’s best-selling female artist – stunned producers by having two people to lower her on to the famous GMTV sofa.

She said the singer also had an entourage watching to ensure she was being filmed at her best angle and brought her own toilet roll to the studios. The blonde host, who has this month returned to work on the ITV breakfast programme after having her second child, son Billy, said: ‘We had Mariah Carey in the GMTV studios last week, where she was pre-recording an interview with Lorraine Kelly. ‘I’ve heard a lot of rumours about her being a diva over the years and guess what? It turns out it’s all true!’ Miss Garraway added: ‘While Mariah was very nice, the amount of people she had in her entourage was hilarious. ‘They outnumbered the entire GMTV crew! She had two people to lower her on to the GMTV sofa, in case her dress got crushed, one person to walk in front of her backwards at all times in case she fell over and several people behind the camera making sure she was going to be filmed from the right angle! ‘Have you ever heard anything like it? Oh, and she brought her own toilet roll as well.’

The presenter’s claims come after Miss Carey, 39, and her management made a host of demands to open Westfield shopping centre’s Christmas Wonderland last week. More than 14 million watched as the star performed her new single, I Want To Know What Love Is, on the X Factor on Sunday night. Some viewers questioned whether Miss Carey, who had pre-recorded her performance, was singing live. One fan said: ‘How bad is her miming?! A “superstar” that has to mime, what a disgrace!’.'Another viewer said: ‘Yes, she was miming. You see it well in the part where she took the mic off the stand in the middle of her singing and the voice didn’t change.’ However, an X Factor spokeswoman insisted that Miss Carey had sung live as well as using a backing track. The star recently claimed she is not a diva, despite admitting her dogs have their own entourage. The singer said she had insisted on having assistants on hand for her Jack Russell pooches Cha Cha and JJ while filming a recent commercial, insisting: ‘My puppies are starring in this ad with me, too. ‘I had my team with me but the pups had a mini entourage of their own, of course! And why wouldn’t they? It was a big shoot and even my entourage had an entourage – my stylist had an assistant, my security had extra security. ‘The shoot was based on the fact that some people think I’m a demanding diva. I have no idea why people have that impression!’ The ‘Fantasy’ singer has previously admitted to feeling baffled by her ‘demanding’ reputation. She said: ‘I am baffled, shocked and appalled when I am called a diva. I’ve never done one diva-ish thing in my life. The actual definition of a diva is a woman who sings well. The secondary definition is a woman who is difficult to deal with. I hope I am the first, but I really don’t think I am the second. I don’t believe I am truly nasty and act in a bad way.’ Miss Garraway was not in the studio at the same time as Miss Carey and her entourage. However a source close to the presenter said: ‘Kate got in shortly afterwards and the place was abuzz with what had happened. It was not so much Mariah, as she points out – but her entourage.’ Miss Carey’s spokeswoman called Miss Garraway’s claims a ‘clear, gross exaggeration’. She said: ‘With regards to the “entourage”, every star of Mariah’s calibre is surrounded by a working team and Mariah doesn’t actually have any more people working with her than any other major star.’

The car was once part of a fleet used by the Nazi leader in his travels across Europe during the Second World War. The midnight blue 770 K model car was locked away in a collector’s garage in Bielefeld along with seven other vehicles used by Nazi leaders. Michael Froehlich, a Duesseldorf car dealer, said he brokered the deal for the unnamed billionaire, who also bought the other vehicles in the collection. Included among the collection was an identical Mercedes once owned by Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi foreign minister who was hanged at Nuremberg for war crimes. After the Second World War the car travelled the world, first going to Austria, then to a car museum in Las Vegas, then back across the ocean to a brewery tycoon in Munich and finally to the anonymous collector in the British army garrison town of Bielefeld. Mr Froelich turned up the car’s original papers and repair logs and matched the licence plate number – 1A 148461 – to photos of Hitler in the car.

In a festive red scarf, Susan Boyle looked like all her Christmases had come at once as she was greeted by thousands of fans in the United States yesterday. A huge crowd stood in New York’s freezing Rockefeller Plaza waiting for their idol, left, to sing live on The Today Show, which was broadcast to millions across America. Just seven months after her debut on ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, the 48-year-old is a global star who can pull in crowds as big as any other chart-topper in the music business. “I’ve grown up a bit. I’ve become more of a lady,” she joked with the TV show’s host Matt Lauer, “I don’t swivel my hips as much, you know?” Yesterday, her 12-song debut CD, I Dreamed A Dream, went on sale after recording the biggest ever pre-sales for a CD online. This month alone, Susan has sold more advance copies than U2, Bruce Springsteen or Coldplay did with any of their albums.

‘Body sold’ to Russia kebab shop

Police in Russia have arrested three homeless men suspected of killing a man, eating part of the body and selling other parts to a kebab shop.

The men were held in the city of Perm, some 1,400km (870 miles) east of Moscow, local investigators said.

Their statement said that the suspects had targeted the 25-year-old victim out of “personal hostility”. It was not clear when the incident occurred. The men – who have not been named – have been charged with murder. The investigators said on Friday that the body of the man had been found in a forested area near a public transport stop in Perm. They said the three men attacked their victim with knives and a hammer. “After carrying out the attack, the corpse was dismembered. Part of it was eaten and part was also sold to a kebab and pie kiosk,” their statement said.It was not immediately clear if any customers had been served.

Famous paintings recreated with espresso by Karen Eland

View More Of Karens Work

So last we had Mariah Carey and Susan Boyle both on X-Factor. Check out there performances.  Oh and I’m happy to say if you missed it last night that Jedward are finally gone! As funny as they are it was too much after a while.

MG

Mariah Carey’s sales over at the UK haven’t been doing so great. She has recently announced that she is working again with aging pop band Westlife. The last time she worked with them was with her last number one single in the UK – a cover of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now).” She hoping to revive Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel with the now-foursome even though they don’t have as much clout as they used to. What could it be? A re-do of “Angels Cry?” That’s the only thing from the album that would work and is not already released.

The Brits always have the best and funniest talk shows. This one get a bit “saucy,” as he puts it. She’s promoting her album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel in the UK before she goes back to celebrate Thanksgiving. Click below for the rest of  the footage.

“Unprepared”

November 17th, 2009

The Good Wife has earned the rather ominous title of being the most unexpected critical “success” of the new season, maintaining the positive response to its pilot and growing into a confident, sophisticated mix of procedural law constructs and some intriguing serialized character dynamics. The show isn’t extraordinary, but in a year where the biggest new drama series (like ABC’s FlashForward and V) are still searching for an identity the simple elegance of The Good Wife is legitimately refreshing.

However, the show’s consistency has been its undoing in one area, as the show’s persistence in crafting connections between Alicia and the cases she tries has begun to wear thin. Last week’s episode was actually really compelling, smartly introducing a new character for Alicia to interact with (the non-lawyer) and introducing a case that had both ramifications in the law firm (being the partner’s daughter) and that involved the unique questions of orthodoxy. However, the show used the marital strife which resulted from the case in order to make Alicia an ideal lawyer not because she is particularly skilled, but rather because she knows what her clients are going through.

There’s nothing wrong with this, and perhaps some could argue it actually helps solidify her character, but as long as she is defined by her past the show feels as if it has less forward momentum than it should. An episode like “Unprepared” works because of how legitimately central Peter Florrick’s trial is to the events in the episode, but in his absence the show relies heavily on those aspects of her life. At some point, Peter Florrick is going to come home, or be sent away for a long time: at that point, what does The Good Wife become?

It’s a question that’s been bugging me, even while I’ve found The Good Wife to be consistently enjoyable.

This is going to sound very strange to the show’s target audience, who likely aren’t big fans of the cult video game series Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, but this episode played out more like one of those games than a traditional trial. The episode wasn’t building to a big trial moment so much as it was utilizing the witness preparation as an effort to give us the clues necessary to be able to figure out what was happening. Every legal show uses this to some extent, but what reminded me of this particular video games series is that there was a real light-hearted tone here: this was never a particularly dire case, rarely falling into melodrama and on a few occasions legitimately going for comedy. The episode even used a familiar Phoenix Wright trick of taking someone largely played for comedy and turning them into a far more sinister individual on the witness stand, albeit one who was simply obsessive to the point of being willing to commit arson.

The structure isn’t overly complex, as I knew something was up long before the show explicitly brought it up (the 8 minute thing tipped me off), but there was something about the case that was just simple and enjoyable. Kalinda got to play a small role figuring out that the letters were a hoax, Alicia and Carey got to have some tense (but enjoyable) interactions playing Good Cop/Bad Cop for the witnesses, and when the case was eventually solved it was tidy without being entirely without consequence. While it followed the usual procedural structure of going wrong (the weak witness, the struggles with other witnesses) before eventually ending successfully, I thought that the look into the process was a more realistic look at how Alicia would be involved in a case like this as a Junior Associate, and felt like the right storyline to stand beside a more substantial serialized development.

I’m still not entirely sure where the show wants us to sit on Chris Noth’s Peter Florrick, but at this point audience reaction is irrelevant: Alicia’s independence is too tenuous (look at how she places his one suit into her closet) for him to return directly into her life, so the failure of his bail hearing was inevitable. But it’s tough to know if we’re supposed to sympathize with Peter for getting screwed over by the Assistant State’s Attorney (who he thought was his friend) when he could have easily completely dismissed the man as opposed to hearing him out. And while his kids may be continuing the investigation into his innocence, I’m not convinced the show would ever allow him to re-emerge into this family, which means that this is all more about Alicia than it is Peter.

As a result, we got our quick and dirty connection (she’s preparing witnesses and now she’s a witness) and a scene of Alicia taking some names on the witness stand as she holds Landry accountable for his badgering. It was a bit over the top (as in, I’d have put her in contempt of his questions at a point, even if he was being a complete douche), but Julianna Margulies was as strong as she always is in these bigger scenes and I thought it hit home how much she’s willing to still sacrifice for her husband and her children during the uncertainty of this appeal process.

I’ve got some believability issues with the kids investigating his innocence, and I do think the thematic connections are too on the nose, but both elements are giving the show a very clear purpose. The show has no identity crisis, and is content with telling compelling stories with strong performances and a sense of purpose (Peter’s guilt/innocence) that might not last forever but is doing just fine for the time being.

Cultural Observations

• The idea of pitting Carey and Alicia against each other (“it doesn’t get any more Darwinian”) made me worried the show would actively attempt to turn Matt Czuchry into a complete jerk, but I thought he and Alicia teaming up in order to completely destroy the Physics professor’s alibi was a good way to recognize their ability to work together when the case requires it.
• Seriously, the kids solving crimes is getting to the point of being a bit ridiculous, but I was at least convinced this week that these two kids are both a) resourceful enough and b) concerned enough for their mother to hide this from her and try to take a stab at it on their own. Plus, last week’s “Sex Line” story gave it a bit more innocent vibe that demonstrated that they’re not the next exactly the next Hardy/Drew pairing.
• Peter Riegert is the latest to join the list of New York-based actors (he was last on Damages) to take on a judge role on the show – curious to see just how far they can stretch this trope.
• Jill Flint is also making the rounds: she co-stars in Royal Pains, did a recurring spot on Nurse Jackie, and now has a brief cameo as an FBI contact of Kalinda’s here.

This is a huge UK TV Special  by T4 where they follow Mariah around while she’s on promo. Mariahs new album is out on the 22nd November, it’s called ‘Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel’. It’s wicked because she’s been confirmed to perform on X-Factor next week on the weekend of her release. BiG!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!

MG

Elle reprend cette ballade du groupe Foreigner. La version originale est meilleure mais Mme. Cannon le déchire quand même.

This was not we expected, but there are only so many thing you can do with such an epic drama-ballad. It’s slow an sentimental, so the concert type video would have done. But, this whole baseball stadium business is unnecessary. And the images of random people could have been diversified. We see the two gay boys from Oprah giving each other a look or two to make it kosher for TV. And the slo-mo does wonders, but not the dress. At any rate, the vocals are everything in this song and she brought it.

“I Want To Know What Love Is” is the second single lifted from Mariah Carey’s new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel.

Moving!

Here is the full leaked version of Mariah Carey’s new track “100 Percent”, the theme song for the new movie “Precious”. The track was produced by Jermaine Dupri & B. Cox.

Mariah Carey – 100%

One of the tracks that was intended for Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel surfaced in it’s tagged entirety. The songs seems like it was done for Precious the movie and now with the added lines we can tell that it is. It’s a cute, uplifting track but it’s not really single material. Yes, this is an old photo, we had to dig in our archives for it. We figured that if she is trying so hard to look like she used to, why not show what she looked like. Oh, those were the days! Visit this blog for more details.

Mariah Carey is doing Europe for a while because her album Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel will be out there now. Contrary to what many critics would say, the voice is very much still there. But, she needs to lay “I Want To Know What Love Is” to rest now and concentrate on something like our favorite “Standing O” or “H.A.T.E.U.”

Mariah Carey has been in the music industry for years, and yet she still manages to remain popular among a younger audience. Some would say that she has turned into a whole new songstress with a different sound than what she once was, but her most recent release “Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel” is a throwback to those older days.  Throughout the whole album there is a distinct connection to her older records, but she mixes in her more recent urban sound to create an album that all her fans can be happy with.

“So it’s basically like we’re trying to make a greatest hits album without using the greatest hits.” – The Dream on MTV UK

Here is a rundown of the album’s tracks…

Betcha Gon Know – Repeat Value: 3/5

The first few lines of this song is an introduction to the album “Welcome to a day in my life. The Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel.”. In all honesty, I like it but it sounds like a lukewarm version of Side Effects (A song from E=MC²). Not a song I would have chosen as the lead track, either. :S

Obsessed – Repeat Value 5/5

The lead single off the album, I would have also liked to have seen it as the lead track. Easily makes it into my list of favorite Mariah Carey songs. The layers upon layers of vocals may seem like a bit too much to some people but Mariah pulls it off in a way only a diva of her status can. Let’s just say my play count for this song is 119 and growing steadily.

H.A.T.E.U. – Repeat Value: 3/5

When I first listened to this song I was surprised at the beginning, because I wasn’t expecting it to be such a slow ballad. Starts off a bit slow but gently works its way up in the verses. The acronym concept is interesting if you replace “H.A.T.E.U.” with its actual meaning (Having A Typical Emotional Upset). Not my favorite song off the album but by no means a bad song.

Candy Bling – Repeat Value: 1/5

I hate to say it but this isn’t Mariah’s best work. A nice slow song, if you want to be put to sleep. This song is what I would imagine being high would feel like. I really don’t have much to say about it. xD

Ribbon – Repeat Value 5/5

Ribbon was one of those songs where I saw the title before it was released and immediately concluded that it would be a great song. It is a great mid-tempo tune that can definitely stand out in its own way, and not just because it is one of the few songs on the album that aren’t about heartbreak or breakups, but because the sound is also unique. It is on a heavy repeat cycle on my iPod.

Inseparable – Repeat Value: 5/5

Inseparable is Memoirs’ I Stay In Love, but it is still able to stand as its own song and not just a copy. Mariah’s strong voice over the soft backing vocals made me fall in love with this track.

Standing O – Repeat Value: 5/5

This is like Obsessed for the people who don’t like the mass amounts of layered vocals, but it doesn’t compromise it’s listen-ability.

It’s A Wrap – Repeat Value: 3/5

This song makes me feel like I’m in one of those fancy restaurants with fine wine and live jazz music. I love this song because it is simple and sweet and not too overpowering. I had always wondered what Mariah would sound like if she went full-out jazz, and this track has me hoping for a jazzy tune in her next work.

Up Out My Face – Repeat Value: 5/5

I love this song as much as I loved Cruise Control. This track probably holds my favorite Mariah Carey lyrics: “If we were two Lego blocks even the Harvard graduating class of 2010 couldn’t put us back together again.”. Love it!

More Than Just Friends – Repeat Value: 2/5

Meh…

The Impossible – Repeat Value: 2/5

Mariah has said this is the song that is most “recent” to her. That is great and all, but it sounds like Nick was all like “Awwww it would be so sweet if you wrote a song about me!” and Mariah kinda just put something random together and slammed a tune down to the lyrics as if she really didn’t want to. *Sigh*

Angels Cry – Repeat Value: 5/5

The only true Mariah-ballad on the entire album. But it has that new sound that the album carries that sets it apart from her older ballads. It is sure to be a hit if it released as a single, maybe it should have been the third single not H.A.T.E.U.?

Languishing (The Interlude) – Repeat Value: 3/4

I consider this more than in interlude, it is a full song in its own right, and a decent one at that. It is a really calm and quiet song, but it shows off Mariah’s quieter singing which is an amazing piece in itself. The end of this song flows into the next, which is…..

I Want To Know What Love Is – Repeat Value: 4/5

The Foreigner cover! I have indeed listened to both versions and have concluded that Mariah’s voice was made for this song. I have even asked a few old people (My dad, and a few others ) what they thought of Mariah’s version and they have all agreed that it is better than the original. The gospel choir suits the new music so well and Mariah sticks it all together like peanut butter on toast.

All-in-all this album has its ups and downs. I would have been completely satisfied if a few songs were removed completely and had never existed, but we can’t all have what we want.

Mariah blended her old and new sounds together to create a completely new and fresh vibe, and so this album may be a foreign concept to some of her newest fans that haven’t heard her albums before The Emancipation Of Mimi. Yet it contains something for everyone to enjoy and her older and newer fans can celebrate Mariah’s new sound together.

]]> http://geekdivabrasil.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/preciousmovie/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:08:21 +0000 geeksista http://geekdivabrasil.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/preciousmovie/

Precious é um filme resultante do projeto de 2 ícones do entretenimento afro-norte-americano, Oprah Winfrey e Tyler Perry, conhecidos por seu engajamento com diversas causas e pela qualidade do conteúdo de suas obras geralmente nada superficiais. Precious não deixa a desejar e apesar do comentário em torno da presença de Mariah Carey atuando bem e sem maquiagem, tem como mérito na verdade o fato de contar a história de uma protagonista que sofre na margem da sociedade distante dos padrões de beleza e enfrentando a miséria e a falta de estrutura familiar. É para refletirmos o quanto é danoso para a própria sociedade que ignora e massacra fisicamente e mentalmente estas meninas.

Abaixo aos padrões e viva a diversidade!

Tô esperando este filme a meses e já vi tanto o trailer que resolvi fazer uma versão legendada em português. Não preciso colocar o resumo do filme, o trailer diz tudo:

Quer saber mais a respeito desse filme:

Precious noIMDB

Site oficial do filme

This hasn’t been talked about much. But, guessing from the new remix track listing of Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel that has leaked, Mariah Carey is actually working with Beyonce Knowles on a remix of her track “It’s A Wrap.” Beyonce has always been a big fan of Mariah’s and Mariah is also always extremely nice when asked about Beyonce. Moreover, they are friends and they have been seen to party together. There have been many rumors about the collaborators for the album, but it seemed like “It’s A Wrap” wasn’t getting any love. Now, we know, that the greatest collaboration is at hand. We hope this gets released as a single.

Mariah Carey’s remix album, which was probably the album that Mariah wanted to release had it not been for LA Reid’s nitpicking, has a track list and it’s out. The album contains R&B remixes of the tracks, some of which are better than the originals. And a few new tracks. Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel might get the lift it deserves after this is released. Also, what happened to the christmas track Mariah did with her mom? Click below for track listing.

1. Betcha Gon’ Know (Remix) feat. Diddy & R. Kelly
2. Obsessed (Remix) feat. Gucci Mane
3. H.A.T.E.U. (Remix) feat. OJ Da Juiceman, Big Boi & Gucci Mane
4. Candy Bling (Remix) feat. T-Pain
5. Ribbon (Remix) feat. Fatman Scoop & Jermaine Dupri
6. Inseparable (Remix) feat. Trey Songz
7. It’s A Wrap (Remix) feat. Beyoncé
8. Up Out My Face (Remix) feat. Lil Wayne
9. More Than Just Friends (Remix) feat. Alicia Keys & Lil Wayne
10. The Impossible (Remix) feat. Jodeci
11. Angels Cry (Remix) feat. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
12. I Want to Know What Love Is (Remix) feat. Styles P. & Jadakiss
13. Call Me Now (Japan Bonus Track)
14. That’s A Smash (Japan Bonus Track)

Dance After Dark

DANCE AFTER DARK
DJ Freedom’s latest greatest featuring BIG ROOM ANTHEMS.

“Big Room Anthems” are songs made for the dancefloor of a full scale nightclub. Venues in NYC like Pacha, in South Beach like Cameo or in Vegas like-like any hotel with a nightclub really-feature these songs.
My versions on these songs is meant to feature the best parts of the songs. I don’t get into the WORDS a lot but they are there to guide the original vision of the song, and the person who remixed it.
If you like the list and want the download (I don’t sell these) then you should send me a note.
There’s a SPECTACULAR jazz song at the end that I want you to go to giantstep.net and buy…it is so well done and emotive I thought for those of you who LOVE music you’ll dig on this one.

Until next time…stay in tune!

BIG ROOM ANTHEMS | PART ONE

1) Love Songs (Bimbo Jones Dub) -
2) Did You See Me Coming – Pet Shop Boys
3) We Are Golden (Radio Edit Vs DJ Freedom’s Refix) – Mika
4) Sad Song (Jason Nevins Club Mix | FJ Dubout) – Blake Lewis
5) Smoke (Extended Mix) – Jus Jack With Phil Garant
6) Obsessed (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Club Mix) – Mariah Carey
7) Wake Up (Buzz Junkies Mix) – Sliimy
Fight For You (Beltek Mix) – Morgan Page
9) I Gotta Feeling (David Guetta Remix | FJ Dubout) – Black Eyed Peas
10) Down (Club Remix) – Sean Feat Lil Wayne
11) Use Somebody (Club Remix) – Kings Of Leon
12) Bad Romance – Lady Gaga (FreeMix)
13) Dollhouse – Priscilla Renea (FreeMix Reprise style)
14) Turn It Out – Altar and Jeanie Tracy
15) Shoes (Green Velvet Remix) – Tiga
16) Be Alright (Perry Twins Los Angeles & Demons Mix) – Kristine W
17) Shoes (Electro-fied Remix by Lanzamientos) – Tiga

HUSTLE TO THE NEW DISCO | PART TWO

18) Get It Shawty (Moto Blanco Radio Remix) – Lloyd
19) Red (Moto Blanco Club Remix) – Daniel Merriweather
20) Outta Here (Moto Blanco Club Remix) – Esmee Denters
21) Let Me Show You (Moto Blanco Remix) – K-Klass
22) Generation Noise (Twocker Remix) Laidback Luke Featuring Boogshe
23) I Call It Love (Moto Blanco Remix) – Lionel Richie
24) Let Freedom Think About It (Free*Beats) – Ida Corr
25) Great DJ (Calvin Harris Remix) – The Ting Tings
26) Gypsy (Laidback Luke Gypsy Woman Remix) – Steve Angello
27) Hotel California (Latino Guitar Mix) – Eagles
28) Time After Time (Tommy Trash Club Mix) – Soul Central Feat Abigail Bailey
29) Whatcha Think About That (Starz Angels Remix) – Pussycat Dolls Feat Missy Elliot
30) SPECIAL CLOSER: No Worries – Robert Glasper (Special thanks to GIANT STEP ON THIS ONE!)

DJ Freedom | Music Scientist…Rhythm & Soul Productions
(917) 405-4423 | Freedom@socialtravelers.net
www.facebook.com/freedom.us
www.myspace.com/rsmf