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In this Photoshop tutorial we will explore the wonderful world of repeating patterns while creating one from scratch using a Photoshop custom shape. Spy Hard release Those of you who’ve been here before have probably noticed my affinity for elaborate and decorative backgrounds in my projects and I’ve received quite a few requests for a tutorial on the subject… so without further adu, here you go my naughty little monkeys!

Step 1

Fahrenheit 9/11 hd The first step in creating a good repeating background is an organized working document, so lets set one up now. Start by creating a new document with a white background. Not all repeating backgrounds are the square variety, in fact some of my most elaborate are rectangle, but to start lets stick with symmetry. Create a new layer by clicking the Create A New Layer icon at the bottom of the layers palette and then grab the Rectangular Marquee tool by pressing the M key and drag out a nice sized selection on the stage. It doesn’t have to be centered or anything, this will just help us define our work area. Press the D key to set the foreground color to black (or pick any color you like, it’s not important at this juncture just as long as it stands out from the background but you know how I feel about purple). Then fill the selection with color by pressing Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace).

Step 2

If your Rulers aren’t visible at this time, press Command-R (PC: Ctrl-R) to bring them up. Now lets click and drag guides from the rulers onto the stage. We want a guide for each edge of our selection, and by default the guides will snap into place nicely when they get close to the edge of the selection.

Step 3

While we’re setting guides and still have the selection active lets also drag them into the center of the selection where they should snap into place as well. (*note) If your guides aren’t snapping into place, choose View from the main menu and select Snap. You can also use the Snap To item in the same menu to designate what will snap.)

Step 4

Our colored square has served it’s purpose, so lets delete it by pressing Delete (PC: Backspace) and then deselect by pressing Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D). The layout is now complete and we can move on to build the pattern. We’re also done with the rulers, so if they’re bugging you press Command-R (PC: Ctrl-R) to hide them. Robot Chicken: Star Wars hd I’m going to change the color of my guides at this point to make them less distracting. You can do this by choosing Photoshop from the main menu, clicking Preferences and then choosing Guides, Grid, Slices and Count.

Step 5

Press the U key to call the custom shape tool. Make sure that Fill Pixels and custom shape are chosen from the custom shape options bar and then choose a shape from the drop down menu. The shape I chose is a sort of victorian swirl from a collection of custom shapes I have laying around for a situation just like this… and yes, of course I’ve included it in the download at the end of the lesson in .csh form so you can load it right into your custom shapes palette and follow along if you’re so inclined.

Step 6

Press the D key to insure that your foreground color is black and then click and drag on the stage to lay down the custom shape. Holding the Shift key while you drag will constrain the proportions and keep things nice and tidy. I’m also being careful to keep my shape within the bounds of one of the four boxes we created with our guides earlier. This will ensure that we can replicate the pattern within the space correctly. Jennifer movie download

Step 7

It’s time to position this little guy for replication, so I’m going to drag it to the left edge of the big square of guides and down until its center snaps to the horizontal center guide. Wow, that sounded confusing. Check out the graphic below if that went over your head.

Step 8

Now lets duplicate the layer and setup the right side of our pattern. Press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to duplicate the layer, then drag the shape to the right edge of the guided box. Holding the Shift key while you drag will keep the movement on a perfectly horizontal plane. Erin Brockovich dvdrip Peter Pan move Because my shape is semi symmetrical and I want the centers of the design to look pretty, I’m dragging my shape to the other side, but not flipping it horizontally or vertically. If we used a shape that wasn’t symmetrical this may be necessary and could be done using the Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical (or Horizontal) options in the main menu.

Step 9

Ok, now we need to create our top and bottom portions of the pattern. For this I’m going to hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key and click down to the first layer we created, effectively selecting both layers at the same time.

Step 10

Command-Click (PC: Ctrl-Click) on one of the two selected layers and choose Duplicate Layers. (*note: Because we’ve got more than one layer selected, the standard Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) keyboard shortcut won’t work.) The Portal dvdrip Click OK when the dialog comes up asking you to name the layers (although you should name them once they’re where we want them). You will notice that now we have two new layers created above our originals and they are by default both selected. While they’re both selected choose Edit>Transform>Rotate 90° CCW from the main menu.

Step 11

download CJ7 dvd We’re now finished with our guides, so you can press Command-H (PC: Ctrl-H) to hide them because the tricky part is coming up and we don’t want anything obstructing our view. download Wonder Woman movie Press the M key to call up the Rectangular Marquee tool and drag a selection around the approximate middle of our new pattern, don’t worry if it’s not exact because we’ll modify it in the next step. As always, the holding down the Shift key will constrain the selection.

Step 12

I’d suggest zooming in on the pattern until it’s as large as you can get it while still being able to view the whole thing. At this point every pixel matters and if we don’t make this selection perfectly the pattern will end up matching up poorly and then you’ll just feel silly. Choose Select>Transform Selection from the main menu. This will give you the same transformation controls that you’ve used before using Free Transform, but this time all we’re transforming is that nice square selection. Our goal is to bring the sides in until we can see that they will line up perfectly with the opposite side when the pattern is tiled. I find it’s best to find a common bold feature on one side and place the selection at its edge, then drag the opposite edge to the corresponding spot.

Step 13

Once your selection is perfect press the Return (PC: Enter) key to commit the transformation to the selection. Since we want this pattern to work perfectly on any background, we need to get rid of the white background layer. You can either delete the layer, or just click on the little eye icon next to the layer in the layers palette to turn its visibility off, either is fine. With the background gone you’ll see the classic Photoshop checkerboard pattern in the background telling you that all that space is going to be transparent in our final pattern.

Step 14

From the main menu choose Image>Crop and then press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect. And our final step in the creation of the pattern is to choose Edit>Define Pattern from the main menu. Give your pattern a name and click OK. At this juncture the pattern has been stored in Photoshop and technically we don’t need this file anymore, but I usually keep it open until I’ve tested the pattern. Lets do that next.

Step 15 Middle of Nowhere

Open a new document with a white background big enough that you will be able to see multiple tiles of the pattern. Create a new layer and choose Edit>Fill from the main menu. When the Fill dialog pops up choose Pattern from the drop down menu in the Contents area and then choose your new pattern from the Pattern Picker (it should be the very last one). Click OK and the stage will be filled with your pattern. If everything looks right, your pattern is ready to use, if not you should probably take a break, get something delicious to eat, then come back and try to figure out where you went wrong. As luck would have it, mine turned out perfectly.

Step 16

Ok, how bout some real world use for our new pattern? I’m not sure why I’m asking you… since I’m going to go ahead and do it anyway, but whatever. Open a new document and lets put down a pretty radial gradient in the background. Set the foreground and background colors to #207e9e and #09526c respectively. Press the G key to invoke the Gradient tool and choose Foreground to Background and radial gradient from the gradient options bar at the top.

Step 17 The Salton Sea psp

click and drag to create a nice gradual radial gradient on the stage. Trois 3: The Escort download

Step 18 Just My Luck movie Shred dvdrip Blood Diamond film

Ok, lets explore another (and much better) way to use a pattern. Yes, I’m talking about adding a layer style, so go ahead and double click next to the name of your layer in the Layers palette to bring up the Layer Styles dialog. (*note: You can also Control-Click (PC: Right-Click) on the layer and choose Blending Options from the menu to access this dialog). (*note: If you double click on the Background layer (which is by default locked), you will get the New Layer dialog box pop up. Don’t worry, give it a name and click OK, then double click again to pull up the Layer Styles dialog.) Click the option on the left hand side called Pattern Overlay (click on the words, not the check box, otherwise you won’t be shown the Pattern Overlay options window). Broken Trail video The Outsiders divx The Time Shifters divx Choose the new pattern by clicking on the Pattern picker (again, it’ll be the last one at the bottom). This is where using the Pattern Overlay feature outshines simply using the Fill dialog because we can now change the blend mode for our pattern as well as change it’s opacity and scale. I’m going to switch the blend mode to Color Burn (because it will interact with the gradient better), lower the opacity to 25% and change the Scale to 50%.

Step 19

Hopefully you’ve come up with something you can use, if not, you can always try, try again. Patterns are an extremely useful and often overlooked design element but when used properly they’ll bring you fame and fortune… well maybe not fame, but fortune for sure. That’s ok though because fame is overrated anyway.

Source: Creating Custom Patterns

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I’m stoked to have a nice list of requests to work from this week. I’ve had several folks ask about how I created the header background seen in the previous site header, so today we’re going to explore the wonderful world of pattern Overlays, Gradient Overlays, Noise and a few other nifty little tricks that you may find useful. This tutorial will cover creating the background and red bars of the header. A very special thanks to Mr. Diggles and Brian from dbClay.com . You boys know why.

Step 1

Lets open a new document and get rolling. Because I’m working in this limited space I’m going to use a document width of 540px, but if you’re building an actual header, you’ll probably want to make your wider and 350px high will be plenty. Click on the foreground swatch in your Tools bar and enter the RGB code #372819 in the field at the bottom of the Color Picker to change the color to a nice brown. Now simply hit Command-Delete (PC: Ctrl-Backspace) which is the keyboard shortcut to fill the stage (or a selection) with the foreground color.

Step 2

Create a new layer by clicking the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. If your layers palette isn’t visible, open it by choosing Window>Layers from the main menu. Double click on the layers name and rename it Header Background . download Leggenda del pianista sull’oceano, La When you create a new layer, it will automatically be selected as your working layer. Press the M key to choose the Rectangular Marquee tool and drag a selection across the stage which will be used to create the background area of the header that contains all those pretty swirls. The height of my selection is 185px. (*note: If you choose Window>Info from the main menu, the Info palette will open up and you can see exactly what size selection you are creating as you go.)

Step 3

Press the D key to reset the foreground color to black, then fill the selection by pressing Command-Delete (PC: Ctrl-Backspace) just like we did in Step 1. Then press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect.

Step 4

For this step you’re going to need to download a new Photoshop pattern file. I’ve included this file in the download at the end of the lesson or you can download it by itself here . Once you’ve downloaded the pattern, you’ll need to place it in the Applications>Photoshop>Presets>Patterns folder on Mac, and the PC path should be quite similar. Breaking Away move Now we are going to load and apply this style to our layer. Either double-click to the right of this layer’s name in the layers palette or Control-Click (PC: Right-Click) on the layer and choose Blending Options to bring up the Layer Styles dialog box. Choose Pattern Overlay from the Styles list on the right. Click on the pattern swatch to open the Pattern Picker, then click the little circle with the arrow in the upper right hand corner. Now you can see all the options available for the Pattern Picker, choose Load Pattern. Now simply navigate to where you placed the pattern at the beginning of this step and click OK. This will load the pattern into your Pattern Picker (right at the end). Now just choose it and the Pattern Picker will close.

Step 5

You’ll see that the pattern you chose is now active in the Pattern window. Change the Blend mode to Luminosity.

Step 6 Davy Crockett and the River Pirates trailer

Select Blending Options from the Style list at the left and move the Fill slider all the way to the left to reduce the layer’s Fill Opacity to 0%. 21 Grams divx

Step 7

Next select the Inner glow style and add the following settings. This is what adds the nice edge burn effect you see in the header. When you’re done, click OK to commit the layer style and return to the document.

Step 8 Freddy vs. Jason ipod Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? film

You’ll notice that the Header Background Scanners III: The Takeover release layer now has a Layer Style icon. Your header should now look something like the one below.

Step 9

Create a new layer and call it Red Bar . With the Rectangular Marquee tool draw out a nice selection below the Header Background (mine is 45px high), fill it with #88160F, and press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect.

Step 10

Next, open the Layer Styles dialog box just like we did in Step 4, choose Pattern Overlay. Just like we did in our earlier step, we’re going to load a pattern set into the Pattern Picker. This time though, we’re going to use a stock pattern set called Texture Fill 2 which you’ll find in the drop down menu where we loaded our pattern in Step 4. You can either Append (put these patterns at the end of the pattern picker) or you can click OK to replace all the current patterns with the new one. Either is fine. Find and select the pattern called Sparse Basic Noise by holding your mouse over each pattern until it’s name appears. And use the following settings. Then set a Gradient Overlay using the settings that follow.

Step 11

Deep Impact divx Lastly, add the following 1 pixel Stroke and click OK. (*note: in my header I used a double outline created by using the Single Row marquee tool available in the Rectangular Marquee tool’s expanded menu with a 1 pixel gap between them.)

Step 12

Now lets duplicate our Red Bar layer by pressing Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J). This will create a new layer directly above the Red Bar layer called Red Bar copy. Press the V key to switch to the move tool then click and drag this new red bar to the top of the header until it looks like the one below.

Step 13

Now lets add a shadow below the bottom Red Bar layer. Click on the Header Background layer and then add a new layer above it by clicking the Add New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Rename the layer Red Bar shadow . Switch to the Gradient tool by pressing the G key and make sure the foreground color is set to black by simply pressing the D key. In the Gradient tool options that appear across the top of the screen, make sure that Foreground to Transparent is selected as well as Reflected Gradient. On the stage drag a short vertical line from the bottom of the Red Bar downward to create the gradient shadow.

Step 14

Lets put the same shadow below the top bar by repeating the process then drop the opacity of both shadow layers to 80% in the layers palette. You can do this by duplicating the layer and moving the gradient up, or by creating a new layer and a new gradient.

Step 15

The last thing we are going to do is place a radial gradient into the header to create the glow behind the logo area. Create a new layer above the Header Background layer and name it Header glow . Press the X key to switch the foreground and background colors, now making white the foreground color. Choose the Gradient tool again by pressing the G key and this time make sure that radial gradient is selected from the Gradient Options. Hank and Mike

Step 16

click and drag a nice radial gradient onto the stage where you think the glow should live. Don’t worry that it extends beyond the Header Background, we’ll fix that in the next step.

Step 17

Ok, now listen very carefully. We are going to create a layer mask on the Header Glow layer by loading the Header Background WaSanGo release layer as a selection so follow along. To load the selection, hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key and click on the thumbnail for the Header Background layer. Cool right? Domino trailer Ok, now make sure that the Header Glow layer is your active layer (it will be highlighted). Then click the Add layer mask button at the bottom of the layers palette (it’s the one that looks like a circle inside a rectangle). Your selection will be converted to a layer mask and the layer mask icon will appear on the Header Glow Chef Donald movie download layer.

Step 18

Obviously this white gradient is much too bright, so the last step is to simply drop the Header Glow Critters 3 film layer’s Fill opacity down to around 30%.

Step 19

Great work! Click here for Hero Header Part II where I’ll show you how I created the old paper and logo star that complete the header graphic!

Source: Hero Header Part I

A story of one of the boldest public relations moves in history.  Morgan Freeman gives the performance he was born to play in a movie that is captivating, both historically and in the narrative.

Most sports movies are about redemption, whether it’s an aging athlete trying to be relevant again, a team trying to prove itself or a coach showing us his vision of what makes a championship team.  This movie is none of that.  But it is a sports movie.  It is a story about healing (yeah I said it).  And it is an amazing historical snap shot of a country trying to come to grips with its past while forging ahead to a bright future.

The Setup:
Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) has just been elected as the President of South Africa, this follows 46 years of national apartheid and 27 years of Mandela’s time in jail.  The country is divided…and that’s putting it mildly.  Against the recommendations of his advisors, Mandela puts the hopes and tolerance of his country in the national rugby team, led by Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), and their chances of winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup.  Oh, and the team is not only wearing the colours of the previous apartheid regime, but they actually can’t play very well.  Can’t say Mandela wasn’t ballsy.  (I said Mandela and ballsy in the same sentence…awesome).

The Thoughts:
Sure Matt Damon is in this but it’s really the Mandela/Freeman show.  Freeman is so perfectly cast; you couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the former president.  Hell, if they did a movie on Morgan Freeman’s life, Nelson Mandela would probably play him.  The quiet dignity.  The strong character.  The powerful resolve.  Mix and match your thesaurus words with your adjectives and you have some sense of how easily this performance is suited for Freeman.

You can look at this movie two ways.  In its historical context or as a public relations exercise.  Either way, it works.  This little known story really brings a sense of the divide between the black and white populations of South Africa.  Obviously this is an issue that is far deeper and varied than one movie can cover so Clint Eastwood (director man) focuses the country’s perspective through the world of rugby lens.  The whites support the white rugby team, the blacks support whomever they are playing against.  Tough job getting both sides on the same side…but then, who doesn’t like to rally behind a sports team?  If only the Canucks could unify us…or win a playoff game…at all.

This is a very good movie.  The acting is fantastic.  Direction is straightforward with some great rugby action near the end.   And the emotion is there.  “Invictus” is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “unconquered”. Mandela had this on the wall of his jail cell.  TAKE THAT EMOTION!

Oh and Matt Damon’s in this too.  Beyond taking his shirt off, playing some rugby and nailing the accent, there wasn’t much for him here but he’s just fine.

Invictus Rating:

2 tickets – good movie, take a friend. If you like sports movies, if you like Morgan Freeman movies, if you like historical movies, if you like true story movies….blah blah blah, this is your movie. Sure it’s a renter but everything is better in the theatre.

Rating system:

½ ticket – rip up your ticket.
1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone.

2 tickets – good movie, take a friend. 
3 tickets – tell everyone you know.

Coming Attractions:

Wonderful World (release date: January 8, 2010) – Sappy?  Yes.  But we’re talking emotion this week and any chance I have to watch Matthew Broderick be snarky, I’m happy.  (I thank/blame Sarah Jessica Parker)

Randomly Recommended

Bronco Billy (1980) – Director, producer, songwriter, composer, delicatessen owner, Maytag repair man…there’s not much Clint Eastwood can’t do.  And one of the things he’s really good at is playing a character that is from another time.  In Bronco Billy, a movie he’s often quoted as saying it’s his personal favourite of his movies, Clint plays a old west carnival show performer who’s the master of a dying art.  Clint likes it, so should you.

The Power of One (1992) – Another South African story starring Morgan Freeman.  This is set in the 30s and 40s as apartheid is forced on the nation.  Also, starring Stephen Dorff and Daniel Craig (his first movie), I was really impressed when this first came out and it holds up over time.

X Factor: Joe McElderry and Olly Murs go head-to-head in the final

Joe McElderry, the favourite to win The X Factor, will go head-to-head in the final with Olly Murs. The pair will now battle it out for the title this evening and the chance to win a recording contract and, in all likelihood, the Christmas number one. Joe, the Geordie 18-year-old went through last night after show-stopping performances of Dance With My Father, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word and Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me in a duet with George Michael.

Last night Joe, the firm favourite to win the show, looked thrilled after a tense evening and said: ‘I can’t believe it. I feel numb. It feels amazing.’But it was Olly Murs, from Essex,  and his mentor Simon Cowell who looked truly stunned after he beat single mother Stacey Solomon to the final.’It’s so great but Stacey was amazing,’ he said.Stacey, 20, from Dagenham, scored the lowest number of public votes but said she was proud to have made it to the final.

Pressure mounting: It all gets too much for Joe as he waits to find out who will go through and lays his head on mentor Cheryl Cole’s shoulder

‘I came third – that’s really good. I’ve had the time of my life.’Her mentor, Dannii Minogue, said: ‘It’s been an incredible journey. I’ve made an amazing friend. She’s an absolute talent and a star.’During the evening, the judges had praised her performances, with Simon Cowell saying she had turned into a ‘nervous wreck’ in previous weeks but appeared calmer for the final.One very famous fan who will be disappointed to see her go is Prince Harry.The royal was spotted backstage with girlfriend Chelsy Davy, 24, who even sent the single mother flowers and a good luck note ahead of the show.Prince Harry has also been personally invited by Simon Cowell to return for tonight’s final.

The 25-year-old Prince made a surprise visit to the North London studios.A fellow audience member said: ‘Harry and Chelsy were really into it. They gave a standing ovation to the acts and were really in the spirit.‘Chelsy seemed to be texting during the performance – probably to vote for Stacey Solomon.‘Obviously the people around them were doing complete double takes, but they were really cool‘Harry was wearing a suit and looked a bit like Olly Murs.’He has been asked to come back with Zimbabwean Chelsy tonight to meet the finalists backstage ahead of the show – expected to be watched by more than 20million people.A source close to Harry and Chelsy said: ‘As long as security is not an issue they plan to be there tonight.‘Chelsy met Simon Cowell when she went for a set visit three weeks ago and she told him Harry was a fan. Simon then sent them tickets.

‘Chelsy throws X Factor-themed parties at her house and Harry and all her friends stay in on Saturday and Sunday nights to watch it. They are completely hooked.’Simon Cowell invited the pair to return backstage for a drink after the show.Harry had been backing John and Edward Grimes – the 18-year-old high-quiffed twins dubbed Jedward – but his votes were not enough to save the pair from being voted off three weeks ago.

Meanwhile Cheryl Cole wore a fishtail dress on the show which was so tight that she could barely walk in it.She was late back to her seat during the break on two occasions and had trouble making it down the steps with Joe McElderry at the end of the show.

The judge looked close to tears on numerous occasions through the show as she told viewers she ‘couldn’t bear it’ if Joe did not make it through.As she praised Joe, who is from South Shields, near her home town of Newcastle, after his performance of Dance With My Father, she said: ‘You stole my heart the first time you sang it.’She added: ‘I class him as a little brother.’As they waited for the results, she held his head on her shoulder as the pressure mounted.In comparison, Dannii Minogue looked understated in a simple one-shouldered toga-style dress in aubergine with a gold hair band and belt.The show saw a return to form for Essex boy Olly Murs, 25, who sang his audition song Superstition and A Fool In Love with a bevy of scantily-clad beauties.

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Gamour: Dannii Minogue wore a simple toga-style dress with gold accessories, while Stacey Solomon shimmered in a ruby red dress

Cowell described him as the ‘best risk I’ve ever taken in my life’. He added: ‘On the biggest night of your life you pulled out the performance of your life.’Olly also performed a duet of Angels with Robbie Williams.The former Take That singer came on to rapturous applause but then fluffed his cue and looked embarrassed by his mistake.It was the weakest duet of the evening and, as the pair wrapped their arms around each other, they looked more like two friends on a stag do singing karaoke.In comparison, Stacey Solomon belted out Feeling Good with crooner Michael Buble wearing a shimmering red gown, and Joe McElderry performed Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me with George Michael.Joe now has odds of 2/9 to win the series, while Olly is the 3/1 outsider. But nothing is guaranteed – Gareth Gates had similar odds against Will Young in Pop Idol but was the eventual runner-up.

Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said: ‘Joe looks unstoppable. He’s gone from strength to strength and it’s going to take a miracle for Olly to get the better of him.’If Joe wins it’ll be a nightmare for the bookies.’Earlier, as the show opened, Cowell said: ‘This is the closest competition I’ve ever been involved in. I can’t pick a winner any more.’The eagerly-anticipated final of the contest will top one of the most lucrative weekends in British broadcasting, with an extended results show creating prime advertising spots in front of an expected audience of 20 million.

Girl time: Olly gets back to his best with a sparkling performance of Superstition, which he performed in his first audition

The weekend’s coverage alone could generate £18 million for the troubled broadcaster ITV1, according to some reports. Sir Paul McCartney will take to the stage tonight alongside all 12 acts who made it to the finals. With a vast audience expected to tune in, advertisers have been fighting to claim a slot on the show. But in an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Cowell warned that tonight might be the last time The X Factor is seen on British screens unless ITV provides more money.The network wants to secure rights to the show for the next ten years, but Cowell has insisted that it pays an extra £3million to his company Syco TV and producers TalkbackThames.

Favourite: Geordie Joe performed Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

‘Every year the show gets bigger and better and that means it ends up costing more. ‘If they don’t give us the money to make the show as big as it’s become, then we’d rather pull out now, while the show is on a high,’ he warned.Cowell also tried to quash rumours that Spice Girl-turned-lingerie model Mel B was to replace Dannii Minogue as a judge if the show continued.‘A lot of things are going to change for next year – if we bring the show back,’ he said.‘Possibly five on a panel. I don’t think it will be Mel B.‘I tell you who’d make a good judge: Robbie Williams. He’s fun, he’s got good instincts and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.’

Cowell said he was ready to work with Joe and compared him to Scottish singer Susan Boyle from Britain’s Got Talent.

Cowell criticised Dannii Minogue’s styling of Stacey Solomon, saying she was trying to make her sound too much like Leona Lewis, who won The X Factor two years ago.’We would take Stacey right back to where she started from, when we first saw her, and take her out of those stupid ball gowns and stop her trying to sound like Leona.’Cowell said yesterday he was still backing Olly, who he has been mentoring throughout the series.‘I think this guy, looked after properly and given a decent record, could do really, really well.’But Olly, 25, told the Mail on Sunday he almost fell out with Cowell over the impresario’s song choice of Twist And Shout last month.‘As the series went on I was taking it more and more seriously and I wasn’t sure about Twist And Shout.

‘Simon said, “Olly, trust me. It’s going to be great.” When I sang it and did the rehearsal it was fantastic.’ Last night’s show saw duets from three of pop music’s biggest stars. Robbie Williams sang Angels with Olly, George Michael performed Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me with Joe, and Stacey sang Feeling Good with Michael Bublé.The celebrities have been in constant contact with the producers and the staff supporting the acts.Olly said: ‘I’ve had a voicemail from Robbie saying how he’s chuffed to have me do a final duet with him and how excited he is about it all.’The victor tonight might not be the only one to win a contract.Cowell said he would ‘have a conversation’ with fourth-placed Danyl Johnson about signing him after Christmas.

Duets: Stacey performed with Michael Buble

Moment Corrie teenager moves in for a kiss with Kym Marsh

This is the moment Coronation Street’s Michelle Connor is caught out by a move from a teenage admirer.Barmaid Michelle, played by Kym Marsh, is distraught after discovering her sister-in-law Carla Connor knew more than she admitted about her brother Liam’s death.Finding her crying, 17-year-old Ben Richardson, played by Lucien Laviscount, gives Michelle a hug to comfort her.

The teen has a crush on Michelle, which has developed while his parents are away on holiday. But he misreads the situation and clumsily attempts to kiss Michelle.A confrontation with Michelle’s son Ryan ensues, and Ben flees the street.

Kym, 33,said: ‘When I heard about it, I thought, Oh no! They’re not turning me into a paedophile, please.’I can’t play that storyline, it would ruin me completely.’But it wasn’t that at all. It’s just to highlight the fact she’s a young mum.’Basically he’s going to misread the situation and he does kiss her but she doesn’t reciprocate. She’s absolutely horrified.’

Miley Cyrus caught kissing ‘boyfriend’ Liam Hemsworth in Paris despite refusing to confirm relationship

Miley Cyrus may have never publicly acknowledged her relationship with former co-star Liam Hemsworth but judging by recent pictures that surfaced of them kissing, it appears they are definitely more than just friends.Spotted in Paris holding hands earlier this week, Miley and Liam were caught up in the moment, locking lips while strolling on the Champs-Elysees on Thursday.The couple, who met on set of the Disney Movie The Last Song, have been keen to keep their relationship under wraps after Liam, 19, denied rumous in September, claiming ‘We just made a movie together. That’s it.’

When the Hannah Montana star, 17, was asked by presenter Ryan Seacrest if she and Liam were together, she responded ‘ I’ll neither confirm nor deny.’

However, Miley seems to have fallen for the actor, after deleting her Twitter acccount for him.In one of her last ‘tweets’ in October, Miley wrote that Liam wanted her to delete her account.’

Her last ‘Tweet’ read: ‘FYI Liam doesn’t have a twitter and he wants ME to delete mine with good reason.’Miley was in the UK this week for performances at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool and the Jingle Bell Ball.She returns this weekend to launch the British leg of her Wonder World tour tomorrow and will be in the UK over Christmas.

OOOPS !!!!

Smoker-face: Lady Gaga faces potential fine after smoking onstage in Canada

She’s known for pushing the boundaries on what people expect of a popstar, but this time Lady Gaga may have gone to far.For performing in Canada, the 23-year-old shocked attendees by lighting up a cigarette and inhaling deeply – despite the fact smoking indoors is illegal in British Columbia.

Wearing a structured gold, bejewelled leotard, black leather gloves and fishnet tights, the Poker Face singer obviously couldn’t wait until she finished the sold out gig in Vancouver to indulge.This comes just days after the New York native met Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II when she performed at the Royal Variety show.The star went for a much less revealing look and thankfully the only smoke onstage during that set came from automated machines.

According to British Columbia law, smoking in all public spaces such as restaurants, pubs and private clubs, offices, malls, conference centres, arenas, community halls, government buildings and schools is banned.Those found guilty of breaking this law may be liable to a fine.However, as the singer clearly enjoyed the cigarette on stage last night, the potential consequences seemed to be the last thing on her mind.

Go Princess !!!!!

Opposing Stories…Make Your Mind Up Girls

X Factor judge Dannii Minogue ‘to be replaced by Mel B’

Simon Cowell is secretly lining up ex-Spice Girl Mel B to replace Dannii Minogue on the X Factor next year, it was claimed last night.The feisty star, real name Melanie Brown, 34, is reportedly in talks with bosses of the ITV show after current judge Dannii Minogue hinted she may quit the show to start a family.Former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, 28,  is also being considered for the job, according to the Daily Mirror.

…………….

New judge? Dannii Minogue is reportedly thinking about quitting the X Factor to start a family. Mel B, who has been modelling lingerie and appearing in a Las Vegas show Peep ShowDannii, 38, is thought to have told Simon Cowell that she may not return next year.The loved-up judge has publically spoken of her boyfriend Kris Smith’s desire to start a family, and has also complained of feeling the ‘odd one out’ on the show.A source told the newspaper: ‘Simon thinks Mel would be brilliant as she is outspoken, down-to-earth and won’t hold back.’There were times in the current series that he felt things were a bit boring and he is certain sparks will fly with her on board.’It will be interesting to see whether she and Cheryl Cole will gel or whether it will be handbags at dawn.’

Kelly Rowland was tiped to take over from Dannii when it looked like she may leave earlier this year and was invited to Simon’s 50th birthday party.The source added: ‘Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, it is highly likely Dannii won’t be on the panel next year and Simon is already thinking about a replacement.’Sparks flew when Dannii joined the judging panel two years ago when Sharon Osbourne was on the team.

She took an open dislike to the Australian star and claimed she was only on the show because Simon fancied her.

When Cheryl Cole joined the show last year, there were rumours of a rift between the pair as Dannii felt she had been sidelined.This year, they have appeared more friendly but Dannii admitted that they are not friends

Cheryl Cole wants to quit and have baby

Simon Cowell tells us he has another A-lister in his sights to replace the X Factor judge

CHERYL: Wants to have a baby

DANNII: Is staying!

MEL B: Won’t be joining judges

Majority of you are in Team Dannii rather than Team Cheryl.

CHERYL Cole wants to quit X Factor to have a baby

The show’s supremo Simon Cowell is desperate to keep his ace judge and ITV would double her £1.2million salary. But mega-rich Cheryl, below, has told him her decision is not about money. Last night an X Factor insider told us: “Cheryl has so much else going on in life.The number one thing on her mind is starting a family. The show is a huge commitment. It’s six months of the year. Cheryl wanted to have a baby with Ashley this year but put it off because of work. “She doesn’t want to wait much longer and she’s not keen on having to judge The X Factor while she’s heavily pregnant.”Cheryl, 26, has said: “I have friends who have put it off and I don’t want to do that. I’d love a big family.”As well as having children with Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole, the Geordie beauty has a successful music career to pursue.

Already a star in Girls Aloud, her solo work is the surprise talk of the music industry.Her first single Fight For This Love topped the charts and became the fastest selling song of the year after she performed it live on The X Factor.And her debut album 3 Words is on target to sell a million copies before the end of the year.Her act Alexandra Burke won X Factor last year and her protege this series, Joe McElderry, is hot favourite to win the contest tonight.Our show source added: “If you’ve won the show twice in a row what else is there left to prove? There’s massive demand in America for her to promote her music which is something she’s agreed to do.”

HugeA music industry expert added: “It’s not only America she has to tackle. Europe is a huge market with lots of countries she has to visit.”Cheryl also has her Girls Aloud commitments to honour with the group booked to record their next album late next year, clashing with X Factor.

Her uncertain future also makes fellow judge Dannii Minogue’s job safe for now.Our source added: “Girls Aloud are definitely recording their album at the end of next year.

“Cheryl has always said she’ll put music first but doing everything would put a massive strain on her. Something has to give.”Simon’s going to take time to reflect but until he’s signed up Cheryl there’s no way he’d let Dannii go anyway.”It’s crazy to think he would risk introducing two new female judges in the same year.”Contract negotiations between The X Factor judges and ITV do not begin until Spring.An ITV insider explained: “Simon hasn’t officially even done a deal with us to bring the show back next year.

“But he loves working with Cheryl and they’ve become very close friends.”He also knows how much the public adore her and how good she’s been for ratings.”Simon is very persuasive and Cheryl admires him hugely. He will try to get one last series out of her. For Simon it’s nothing short of a disaster if she does go through with what she’s thinking and walks out of the show.”

Todays Toons

X Factor babe’s porn shame

MILE-HIGH CLUB: Vicky in pilot gear

KANDY Rain beauty Vicky Lloyd has got the XXX Factor – she’s starred in a series of PORN movies,

The blonde singer, 22, dressed as a pilot, a poledancer and even one of the 60s band The Supremes to make raunchy films.But when her band Kandy Rain auditioned for the X Factor, Vicky tried to distance herself from her not-so-sweet past by changing her name to Coco.Vicky, who met her bandmates when they were working as strippers at a lap-dancing club, is now dating the club’s owner who’s 27 years older.A source told us: “Vicky was a bit worried about her past coming out if Kandy Rain made it big.”But she loved being in front of the camera, she’s a natural exhibitionist.”

Former boarding- school pupil Vicky made the blue movies in 2007, soon after spurning the chance of taking a law degree to be a glamour model.

The films are available in the VIP section of paid-for adult website.In one video Vicky dons a pilot’s hat, skin- tight black uniform, stockings and heels as she purrs: “I’m dressed as a mile-high captain.”The 36DD Kandy girl then whips off her saucy get-up and writhes around groping herself before blowing a cheeky kiss to her online audience.

It is run by a singer/ songwriter called John McKeown, 49, who has been dating Vicky for 18 months.Our source told us: “He might be 27 years older than Coco but they get on brilliantly – she keeps him young in the bedroom.”There are a lot of sexy girls working in John’s club, but Coco’s got something extra in her personality.She is feisty, full of fire, and dedicated to her music.”Vicky and the other Kandy Rain girls became an overnight sensation when they performed a rendition of the Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha while clad in PVC and leather.It’s hardly a surprise then that they made it to Boob, sorry, Boot Camp.

Simon Cowell: I want Robbie Williams for 5th judge

Cowell reveals plans for next series of X Factor

PLANS – Will Robbie join the team?

SIMON Cowell has revealed he wants superstar Robbie Williams to join the X Factor team as a FIFTH judge.

The show boss has told how he is planning a radical shake-up next year which is likely to include an extra “novelty” category to take in acts such as Jedward.And he wants Robbie and possibly another A-list star to join him, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue on the judging panel with Cheryl Cole’s future on the show in doubt.Cowell said that Robbie – who sang his most famous song Angels last night with Olly Murs and performed his single Bodies earlier in the series – could be the key to making next year’s show even better.

He said: “I would like to get Robbie Williams. He’s got good instincts.”He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he’s a fun guy to be around.”I’d love to have him there because I think he would be a good judge, full stop.”That’s why I like having Louis Walsh on the panel. He is fun to work with.”I don’t know if Robbie would want to do the show as he’s so busy but he would be great. A lot of things are going to change if we bring the show back.”He did not specify what the fifth category would be but Dannii has indicated they are looking at the novelty angle.Cowell is keen to inject more humour into the show and continue the huge success of acts like Jedward – John and Edward Grimes.He also denied rumours former Spice Girl Mel B will be taking a seat on the judging panel in 2010 in place of Dannii.Cowell, 50, said: “We have not approached Mel B to do the show. We met with Mel two or three years ago at the time we brought Cheryl in and didn’t know if Cheryl was going to accept.

“We also met Mel earlier this year to possibly get involved with a new show, not the X Factor. She wants to do the X Factor but she hasn’t been asked yet.”No deals have been concluded for next year, nothing. So we’re not in a position to talk to anybody about contracts.”The media mogul repeated his threat that if ITV does not find an extra £3million for the show’s budget he may AXE the show.He said the money was necessary to bring in more staff with many of the current team working round-the-clock to put on a good production.And he stressed he does not want to boost his £7.5million-a-year pay cheque.Cowell explained: “The reason we haven’t announced anything for next year is we’re seeing if we can work something out that will allow The X Factor to stay on in the UK for a few more years.”Everyone is really stretched right now. We need more people working on the show and that costs money.”There are a lot of people working 18 hours a day, seven days a week trying to keep this show running. We need more people. So I need that commitment from ITV. If you hire more dancers, more stylists, you need to add to the budgets.

“Plus, when we’re flying people all around the world we need money.”Most people out there at the moment are asking for salary increases. We just want the money for the show. I haven’t asked for more money. I’m not looking for a pay rise. I wouldn’t ask for a raise if it meant we had less money for the show.”If we don’t reach a deal with ITV I will simply take a break. I am not going to work for anyone other than ITV and if we couldn’t come to a deal then we would say, ‘Thanks for the last few years, we’ve had a great time and that’s it.’”If we’re not going to work with ITV then that would be the end of The X Factor.”Cowell confirmed he will be launching The X Factor America, with himself at the helm, by 2011.

But he vowed to continue fronting his UK shows, which also includes Britain’s Got Talent, so long as a deal can be reached. Cowell said: “My gut feeling is X Factor will be on American TV in the next 18 months.”But he admitted his workload has left him so exhausted he wished he could clone himself.He joked: “I’m going to clone me to do all these shows. We’re in the middle of a scientific experiment right now. I’d make 50. I would live with one of them. He’d be like my friend.”Most importantly I am not running off from Britain to America.”Cowell went on to blame Dannii for ruining Stacey Solomon’s chances by trying to make her a clone of 2006 winner Leona Lewis.

He said: “If Stacey were to win the show, we would have to go right back to where she started from when we first saw her.”I would take her out of those stupid ballgowns and stop her trying to sound like Leona. I think she is a really good singer but all her originality has been stripped away from her.”Dannii is trying to make her Leona Mark II and you can’t do that.When Stacey sang Coldplay she was so good they sent her a platinum disc. She needs to do something that’s interesting.”On last night’s show, Stacey duetted with crooner Michael Buble on the old standard Feeling Good.

On Olly, his last contestant, Cowell added: “He’s like a new Robbie. I spent two days with him this week where we went to his home and I got to know him a bit more. I saw what he was like with a crowd and if he is looked after properly and given some decent records he could do really well.”"But Joe McElderry has been very underrated. He’s got a very good recording voice. We’re going to take our time on Joe if he does win. We’ll do our best and he could surprise a lot of people.”Prince Harry was in the audience for last night’s show. The 25-year-old royal is a huge fan and has told pals Joe is the best singer. But he loves cheeky chappy Olly and reckons Stacey Solomon is “hilarious.”An insider said: “Harry’s been watching the show since the start. He loves it! He was desperate to see it live and when his aides contacted ITV they were thrilled to get him on the guest list.”Like everyone, Harry loves Joe and reckons he has the best voice.

Todays WTF!!!

Ewwwwwwwww  Minimal Stains ??????

]]> http://nothatwasacompliment.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/wonderful-world-2009/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:13:25 +0000 nothatwasacompliment http://nothatwasacompliment.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/wonderful-world-2009/

we are fun and will bring joy to your miserable life because we see the good in you despite your cynical nature.

R

Matthew Broderick, Sanaa Lathan, Michael K. Williams, Jodelle Ferland, Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Khadi: Remember that slap!  It’s the last time we touch…

Ben Singer (Broderick) is a musician who used to write happy songs for kids, but he’s become disillusioned with the world.  His cynicism has cost him his marriage and is driving him and his daughter, Sandra (Ferland), apart.  When Ben’s roommate, Ibu (Williams), goes into a coma, Ibu’s sister, Khadi (Lathan), comes to the U.S. from Senegal to be near him.

There are some positives and negatives about this movie, but none of them are really extreme in either direction.  Which means that nothing about this movie is particularly interesting, outside of a few good performances.  Broderick is alright, Williams is good in his limited scenes, Ferland is good as the daughter, and Lathan probably shines brightest as Khadi.  Despite the likable performances, the story and themes were just so routine that I could never really get into it.

Also, this is the directorial debut for Joshua Goldin, and I thought it showed.  The movie had a distinct TV movie feel to it, including establishing shots of buildings straight out of a TV sitcom.  It just felt unprofessional and uncreative at times.

As for the story, I did like that Ben didn’t go through huge, miraculous changes in personality.  Instead, it’s more of a gradual scraping away of his outer walls to reveal some of his old personality that has been buried.  I just wish it had been directed in a more interesting way.  It just tends to drag along from one predictable turn to the next, with drama that seems forced and unbelievable.

There are some nice moments between Ben and Khadi, and between Ben and his daughter, but nothing that I couldn’t see coming from a mile off.  Thankfully it doesn’t all get wrapped up with a pretty bow on top in the end.  Though, I wish it had been wrapped up with a more creative bow…

Park your car legally.  A life could depend on it.

10 – 1.8 for a lackluster directing style – 2.3 for a routine, predictable story + .1 for some good performances = 6.0

There appears to be a demographic of loser guys entering their mid-life crises that two upcoming smaller films look to tap and they’ve both got good, underused actors in the leads. Ben Stiller may be known to most as the feckless guy everything goes wrong for in comedies, or the guy who wears funny mustaches in Vince Vaughn flicks, but he’s got some solid dramatic and darker work under his belt, like “Permanent Midnight”, “Zero Effect” and even “The Cable Guy”, which he directed.

Stiller’s built an empire on a certain type of film, but it will be nice to see him move away from that in “Greenberg”, directed by “The Squid and the Whale” director Noah Baumbach. Indeed, Stiller’s character has vocal and physical mannerisms a bit like Jesse Eisenberg’s in “Squid”, the kind of guy who knows a lot about the way the world works but can’t get it to work for him.

Then there’s “Wonderful World” starring Matthew Broderick, a deserving guy in desperate need of a decent film project. I haven’t seen him in anything since “Election” and haven’t kept myself apprised of his Broadway work, but I know that Broderick represents a lot of things to kids who grew up in the 1980s, myself included. I’d really like to see him in a decent role, something that caters to his age and ability to play an everyman while providing some insightful comedy, and to that effect, “Wonderful World” looks promising. It’s written and directed by Joshua Goldin, who has little to his credit outside of co-writing a draft of “Darkman” (!).

Ten years ago, Kevin Spacey was playing these kinds of guys. Now look at the state of things. Everyone’s getting older. Determinations of material and spiritual success are changing. Generation X doesn’t want the Porsche. They just want to figure out how they ended up so damned lonely. They’ve got all these ideas about life but seem too self-centered to find true happiness. I’m interested in finding out what conclusions these characters come to.

Ben Singer ist ein gescheiterter Folk Sänger, raucht ständig Marijuana und ist ein nicht besonders guter Wochenend-Vater. Ein Misanthrop wie er im Buche steht. Den einzigen Spaß im Leben den er noch hat, sind seine Schachspiele mit seinem Freund Ibou aus Senegal. Als dieser plötzlich krank wird und in ein Koma fällt, scheint Ben’s negatives Weltbild nur noch mehr bestätigt zu werden. Aber die ebenfalls aus Senegal stammende Khadi wird Bens Einstellung verändern.

Man mag es “Ferris Bueller” Matthew Broderick gar nicht zutrauen, dass er endlich gute Rollen ergattert. Natürlich ist “Ferris macht blau” ein Klassiker, aber mit Filmen wie dem Remake zu “Die Frauen von Stepford”, dem eher schwachen “Godzilla” oder “Inspector Gadget” konnte er bisher nicht unbedingt auf sich Aufmerksam machen. Aber das er kein schlechter Schauspieler ist, das beweist er in “Wonderful World”. Zumindest der Trailer scheint uns mitteilen zu wollen, dass wir uns hier auf eine gute DramaKomödie gefasst machen dürfen.

Joshua Goldin hat bei “Wonderful World” Regie geführt (sein Debut hinter der Kamera). In den Hauptrollen sehen wir Matthew Broderick (“The Producers”), Sanaa Lathan (“Alien vs. Predator”) und Michael K. Williams (“Gone Baby Gone”). Der Film wird am 8.Januar 2010 in den USA anlaufen. Für Deutschland gibt es noch keinen Releasetermin.

sweet lila

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They’re really saying I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Don’t know much about history

Don’t know much biology

Don’t know much about a science book

Don’t know much about the french I took

But I do know that I love you

And I know that if you love me too

What a wonderful world this would be

Don’t know much about geography

Don’t know much trigonometry

Don’t know much about algebra

Don’t know what a slide rule is for

But I do know that one and one is two

And if this one could be with you

What a wonderful world this would be

Now I don’t claim to be an “A” student

But I’m trying to be

So maybe by being an “A” student baby

I can win your love for me

Don’t know much about history

Don’t know much biology

Don’t know much about a science book

Don’t know much about the french I took

But I do know that I love you

And I know that if you love me too

What a wonderful world this would be

La ta ta ta ta ta ta

(History)

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

(Biology)

La ta ta ta ta ta ta

(Science book)

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

(French I took)

But I do know that I love you

And I know that if you love me too

What a wonderful world this would be

Ferris Bueller fans in Liverpool rejoice as The Fact are showing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off this Saturday and Sunday at 4pm.

In “Wonderful World,” a dark comedy, Broderick portrays a former children’s folk singer and father who has fallen on hard times — until he meets his roommate’s flamboyant sister, played by Tony Award-nominated actress Sanaa Lathan.

This poster for Matthew Broderick’s up and coming movie has been released. By the pictures on the poster it looks like it could be interesting. Especially with the tagline “happiness is a state of mind”.

Haz click en la imagen para verla al detalle

Un divorciado amargado descubre que, a pesar de lo que pensaba, es posible que se vuelva a enamorar, e incluso que le llegue de donde menos lo espera. Wonderful World marca el regreso de Matthew Broderick a la comedia romántica, un género en el que se había desenvuelto bastante, pero que recientemente había dejado para explorar nuevos campos. La cinta estaba laneada para lanzarse en el último trimestre del año, pero si bien está ya concluida, todo parece indicar que se retrasará hasta inicios del 2010.

[Une production frenchcarcan, le dialecticien audiovisuel qui casse des briques]

Si había esperanza, tenía que estar en los proles porque sólo en aquellas masas abandonadas, que constituían el ochenta y cinco por ciento de la población de Oceanía, podría encontrarse la fuerza suficiente para destruir al Partido [...] Les bastaría con encabritarse como un caballo que se sacude las moscas. Si quisieran podrían destrozar el Partido mañana por la mañana. Desde luego, antes o después se les ocurrirá. Y, sin embargo…

Recordó Winston una vez que había dado un paseo por una calle de mucho tráfico cuando oyó un tremendo grito múltiple. Centenares de voces, voces de mujeres, salían de una calle lateral. Era un formidable grito de ira y desesperación, un tremendo ¡O-o-o-o-oh! Winston se sobresaltó terriblemente. ¡Ya empezó! ¡Un motín!, pensó. Por fin, los proles se sacudían el yugo; pero cuando llegó al sitio de la aglomeración vio que una multitud de doscientas o trescientas mujeres se agolpaban sobre los puestos de un mercado callejero con expresiones tan trágicas como si fueran las pasajeras de un barco en trance de hundirse. En aquel momento, la desesperación general se quebró en innumerables peleas individuales.

Por lo visto, en uno de los puestos habían estado vendiendo sartenes de lata. Eran utensilios muy malos, pero los cacharros de cocina eran siempre de casi imposible adquisición. Por fin, había llegado una provisión inesperadamente. Las mujeres que lograron adquirir alguna sartén fueron atacadas por las demás y trataban de escaparse con sus trofeos mientras que las otras las rodeaban y acusaban de favoritismo a la vendedora. Aseguraban que tenía más en reserva. Aumentaron los chillidos. Dos mujeres, una de ellas con el pelo suelto, se habían apoderado de la misma sartén y cada una intentaba quitársela a la otra. Tiraron cada una por su lado hasta que se rompió el mango. Winston las miró con asco. Sin embargo, ¡qué energías tan aterradoras había percibido él bajo aquella gritería! Y, en total, no eran más que dos o tres centenares de gargantas. ¿Por qué no protestarían así por cada cosa de verdadera importancia?.

Escribió: Hasta que no tengan conciencia de su fuerza, no se revelarán, y hasta después de haberse rebelado, no seran conscientes. Éste es el problema.

George Orwell
1984

Protestas en los Estados Unidos por el G-20
Estado de Sitio en Honduras

Un docu fort sympathique sur l’histoire de ce paysan qui fait pousser des plantes géantes même en sol salé avec une déconcertante facilité.

José Carmen, défraye depuis 20 ans la chronique car il produit des choux de 40 kilos, des pieds de maïs de 5 mètres de haut, des blettes 1,5m et ses terres ont 10 à 50 fois plus de rendement à l’hectare pour une utilisation de fertilisants 100 fois moindre. Chimistes, agronomes, ingénieurs et techniciens sont accourus de partout pour suivre le travail de cet homme hors du commun…

Partie 01:
1-3 L’homme qui parle avec les plantes

Partie 02:
2-3 L’homme qui parle avec les plantes

Partie 03:
3-3 L’homme qui parle avec les plantes

No matter how often I think that we live in a wonderful world, full of kind, decent people, something always comes along that reminds me that there are many heartless bastards walking among us.

Today I got one of those reminders.

In the morning, an old lady who is one of our regular customers  came into my work to get something. Ten minutes later, she came back in saying that she’d lost her purse and asked us  if she’d left it there. We hadn’t seen it, but we said we would let her know if anyone handed it in to us.

When I came back from lunch, my boss had found a purse that had been pushed through our letterbox. It was the old lady’s.  My boss and I were so glad it had turned up and we contacted her straight away. We talked about how good, kind and honest the individual who found it was, how they had restored our faith in humanity. That faith was quickly crushed again when the customer came to collect it, to find that the money she had in her purse – all £300 of it- had gone. This lady is due to go into hospital for an organ transplant and the time her purse went missing, she was heading to the post office to pay all her bills and her rent before she goes for her operation. I felt sick, but most of all I felt angry.

I’d like to think that the person who pushed it through our letter box was not the same person who helped themselves to this poor lady’s cash. After all, if you’re honest enough to hand it in, surely you’re not dishonest enough to steal from it? We’ll probably never know where it was found, who found it or how it went missing. What we do know however, is that the person who did this is one of the biggest scumbags walking this planet right now – if not the biggest.  I’m not normally the type to wish bad things on people, but I hope that the good time that he/she will undoubtedly aim to have as a result of finding this lady’s money turns into their worst time ever. Most of all, I hope they rot in hell.

She’s 16 and Miley Cyrus  is paying tribute to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, as she kicks off her Wonderful World Tour.

Performing her hit, Fly On The Wall which defines the craziness of being a celebrity and not being able to trust the paparazzi or her beaus, intrusion in her life for a piece of her fame, Cyrus gives her fans an outstanding commentary on life in the fame game.

Of particular note, is the opening set, which features two men dangling on strings in the air like flies, while fame is signified like a futuristic bullfrog below, waiting for the men to fall into its hungry trap. Kinda deep for a 16 year old. This kid knows!

The highlight of her performance, happens at the 4:00 minute mark of this video, where Cyrus goes all out for Michael Jackson. It’s nice to see young people not forget their manners, and the ones who paved the road before them and pay tribute to the greats, like Miley is  here with Michael Jackson.

The result, Miley Cyrus’ Wonderful World Tour is a Thriller! You know it, this girl knows how to market herself better than any pop star, bar Taylor Swift and Madonna. She’s always a study into marketing brilliance. Love her feisty pep factor! She’s got get up and go, for young Americans to do the same in this global economy. She’s Priceless.

Mir fällt eine Einordnung von Nessi Tausendschön immer schwer. Musikkabarett, Musikcomedy, Standup… Von allem ein bischen und vor allem auch ein Clown. Und eine wunderbare Stimme.

Cred ca

chiar daca este

Cred ca

chiar daca este