-- Orders for U.S.-made durable goods gained more than forecast in July, suggesting business spending remained a bright spot before this month's rise in the price of credit to companies and consumers.
Gains in manufacturing, spurred by dwindling inventories and increased exports, drove demand to the highest level since September. The increase signals the economy was still expanding at the onset of the August financial-market rout that spurred the Federal Reserve to cut its discount rate and warn that ``risks to growth have increased appreciably.''
Orders for products meant to last several years climbed 5.9 percent after a revised 1.9 percent gain the prior month, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Excluding transportation equipment such as airplanes, they rose 3.7 percent, the most in almost two years.
``Even though there could be some reduction in that momentum in August, we're starting from a stronger point rather than a weak point,'' said Brian Bethune, an economist at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. ``I don't think it affects the path we are on in terms of we're moving into a period where growth is still going to be relatively slow.''
Global Insight's forecast of a 6 percent increase in orders was the closest to the reported figure among 73 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
Treasury notes were little changed as traders awaited a separate Commerce Department report forecast to show sales of new homes fell to the lowest level in seven years in July.
Exceeding Estimates
Economists had anticipated durable-goods orders would rise 1.0 percent, the median forecast in the survey, after a previously reported 1.3 percent rise in June. Forecasts for the increase ranged from 0.3 percent to 6 percent.
Excluding bookings for transportation equipment, orders were forecast to gain 0.6 percent, according to the survey median, after a previously reported 1.0 percent decrease.
Orders for commercial aircraft jumped 12.6 percent in July after rising 37.1 percent a month earlier. Demand for autos rose 9.8 percent, the biggest increase since January 2003, after declining 0.7 percent the prior month.
Boeing Co. registered 149 orders in July, up from 132 in June, according to company statistics released earlier this month. It shipped 33 planes, compared with 39 a month earlier.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. on July 25 said its quarterly profit and sales exceeded analysts' estimates and the planemaker raised its earnings forecast for the year on record orders.
Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a proxy for future business investment, rose 2.2 percent after decreasing 0.1 percent in June. Shipments of those items, used in calculating gross domestic product, rose 0.5 percent after declining 0.8 percent.
Unfilled orders for such goods rose 1.5 percent.
Strength in Manufacturing
Other reports signal manufacturing continues to grow. Manufacturing expanded for the six months through July, rising at the fastest pace in June in 14 months, according to the Tempe, Arizona-based Institute for Supply Management.
Inventories of all durable goods rose 0.1 percent, after no change in June.
The gain in ex-transportation orders was led by rising demand for communications gear, machinery and primary metals. Defense equipment orders also rose.
Demand excluding military gear rose 4.9 percent in July after rising 2.3 percent in June.
Capital Spending
Frank MacInnis, chief executive officer of Norwalk, Connecticut-based EMCOR Group Inc., a leading installer of electrical and mechanical building systems, said capital spending remained on a steady trajectory, even in the face of the credit-market turmoil.
``It looks like corporate spending plans remain unimpaired for the time being,'' MacInnis said in a telephone interview. ``That speaks to the overall health of both the domestic economy and the remarkable strength of the world economy.''
Manufacturers continue to ramp up output after working off excess inventories built up late last year. Growth in industrial production, fueled by rising exports and increased business spending, is likely to outpace overall growth in the economy that may average about 2.5 percent in the second half, according to forecasts.
Stepped-up production of equipment and software, a gauge of business investment, contributed 0.2 percentage point to growth in the second quarter after being flat in the first quarter and dragging on growth in the second half of 2006.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Jay-Z, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Diddy, T.I., Ciara, Swizz Beatz Make Hip-Hop History At NYC Show
There were close to 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, and it's pretty much a given that none of them believe what they saw. Just imagine how much they've been calling, texting and MySpacing since the show. Heck, you might not even believe this when you read it, but as wrestling legend Kurt Angle would say, "It's true. It's damn true."
T.I. orchestrated a mammoth hip-hop moment, a piece of history in the form of an onstage party featuring the cream of the crop in hip-hop: T.I., Jay-Z, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, Ciara, Kanye West and 50 Cent. They were all onstage performing and partying together ... as in, everybody was onstage at the same time.
(Peep snaps of the heavyweights onstage together at the unforgettable show.)
The show started like just another Screamfest '07 tour stop (see "T.I., Ciara To Headline Latest Scream Tour"). Headliners Ciara and T.I. intermingled their sets much like Jay-Z and R. Kelly did on the Best of Both Worlds tour a few years back (see "Jay-Z, R. Kelly Part Ways as Best Of Both Worlds Tour Collapses"). Ciara came out first, did half her show and left. Then it was T.I.'s turn to do half his show, which led into both ATL natives performing their respective part twos. Those second halves would bring the crowd into the stratosphere and give MSG one of its memorable spectacles ever.
During the second half of Ciara's set, 50 Cent slowly rose up and onto the stage, where he and his rumored girlfriend performed "Can't Leave Him Alone." Although Fif isn't on the Scream bill, he might as well be: He's popped up with "surprise" appearances on the tour several times, including earlier this week in Hampton, Virginia. 50 was immediately greeted, well, like the man who runs New York. The crowd got stupid. After their duet, Ciara asked 50 if he would perform one of his songs, and if you think there was any way he wasn't going to rock in his hometown, you're just plain foolish.
"I Get Money" was ... well, remember the first episode of "Lost," when the plane was ripped apart and just about everyone and everything went flying? It was that. 50 brought out some of his wolves: Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, you get the picture. But it was big, it was loud, the energy level was as high as a satellite. It was that big MSG moment that a superstar who claims he runs the city — in that very song no less — was supposed to bring. It was almost a show-stealer.
But T.I.'s round two was utterly remarkable — and is one for the history books. The crowd had already showered him with love as he shot from the throne hits like "Top Back," "24's," "Why You Wanna," "Rubber Band Man" and "Bring Em Out" — a great show in its own right. But what he did to end his set was one of the few things missing from his career: a coronation at one the most famous venues in the world. He'd done shows at Madison Square Garden before, but never his show.
Wyclef Jean broke T.I..'s halftime silence by playing the national anthem on guitar. 'Clef later ran into the crowd during "My Swag." Then Tip started another cut from his album, "Watch What You Say." After the first verse, a banner of Jay-Z's hands throwing up the dynasty sign rolled down the back of the stage.
Jay-Z then began to stroll down a long runway, to the main stage, in the middle of the Garden. The crowd must not have believed its eyes, because there was no reaction at first. Once Jay started to rap his lines — "Rap music is something ain't it? The way these pictures is painted/ You swear these n----s is dangerous, the gangsta sh-- they be saying" — the audience went wild.
After "Watch What You Say," Jay let everyone know the Roc was in the building — and when Tip's DJ for the show, Drama, dropped the beat, the point was driven home. As Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing" started to play, 'Ye himself walked slowly from the runway to the main stage. main stage. Moments earlier though, 50 ran to the stage from another part of the venue — seemingly unplanned, because Jay and T.I. both looked a little surprised. According to a source close to the event, 50 and Diddy had been seen joking with T.I. in his dressing room earlier in the night, but Fif coming onstage with Tip and company was not part of the program. It turned out to be some welcomed improvising, though.
There were no incidents and no signs of rivalries — as Kanye rapped, 50 ran around the stage like he was doing a victory lap, stopping along the way to bump shoulders and say what's up to Tip, 'Ye and Jay. Before Kanye could even make it to the main stage though, Diddy sprinted from the back, running past West and onto the runway to the big stage. Although the audience was rocking to West, the spectacle of seeing everybody together onstage — especially the two guys who have been hyping their September 11 in-store showdown (see "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other' " and "50 Cent Explains Last Week's Blowup, Says 'I Will Be #1 On September 11' ") — on one stage at the same time took precedence. They were all smiling and dancing and genuinely enjoying the camaraderie. 50 even threw up the Roc-A-Fella diamond sign with his hands for a couple of seconds.
"Laaaaa, la, la, la, wait till I get my money right," Kanye continued, as he stood next to 50, Diddy and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z then did one of his classics, "Encore," and the show ended with everyone in the Garden unanimously cheering and making the Roc sign. Some fans were saying that the cheers in the Garden sounded louder than when close to 60,000 at Giants Stadium did the same thing a few years ago during Summer Jam.
With everyone still hanging out onstage, Swizz Beatz and Ciara eventually made it to the stage as well, with Swizz doing one of the biggest records in rap right now, "Money in the Bank."
T.I. and Ciara ended their triumphant New York visit with renditions of his "What You Know?" and "Big Things Poppin'." CiCi proclaimed herself "Queen of the South," and rightly so.
Hungry for more hip-hop coverage? Sink your teeth into our "Hottest MCs in the Game" feature.
Seen a great show? MTV News wants your photos, videos and reports from all the latest concerts for our new You R Here community. Check out the site to read, rate and comment on reviews from around the globe. We'll put the best stuff on our You R Here blog, and even in on-air news!
You Tell Us
T.I. orchestrated a mammoth hip-hop moment, a piece of history in the form of an onstage party featuring the cream of the crop in hip-hop: T.I., Jay-Z, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, Ciara, Kanye West and 50 Cent. They were all onstage performing and partying together ... as in, everybody was onstage at the same time.
(Peep snaps of the heavyweights onstage together at the unforgettable show.)
The show started like just another Screamfest '07 tour stop (see "T.I., Ciara To Headline Latest Scream Tour"). Headliners Ciara and T.I. intermingled their sets much like Jay-Z and R. Kelly did on the Best of Both Worlds tour a few years back (see "Jay-Z, R. Kelly Part Ways as Best Of Both Worlds Tour Collapses"). Ciara came out first, did half her show and left. Then it was T.I.'s turn to do half his show, which led into both ATL natives performing their respective part twos. Those second halves would bring the crowd into the stratosphere and give MSG one of its memorable spectacles ever.
During the second half of Ciara's set, 50 Cent slowly rose up and onto the stage, where he and his rumored girlfriend performed "Can't Leave Him Alone." Although Fif isn't on the Scream bill, he might as well be: He's popped up with "surprise" appearances on the tour several times, including earlier this week in Hampton, Virginia. 50 was immediately greeted, well, like the man who runs New York. The crowd got stupid. After their duet, Ciara asked 50 if he would perform one of his songs, and if you think there was any way he wasn't going to rock in his hometown, you're just plain foolish.
"I Get Money" was ... well, remember the first episode of "Lost," when the plane was ripped apart and just about everyone and everything went flying? It was that. 50 brought out some of his wolves: Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, you get the picture. But it was big, it was loud, the energy level was as high as a satellite. It was that big MSG moment that a superstar who claims he runs the city — in that very song no less — was supposed to bring. It was almost a show-stealer.
But T.I.'s round two was utterly remarkable — and is one for the history books. The crowd had already showered him with love as he shot from the throne hits like "Top Back," "24's," "Why You Wanna," "Rubber Band Man" and "Bring Em Out" — a great show in its own right. But what he did to end his set was one of the few things missing from his career: a coronation at one the most famous venues in the world. He'd done shows at Madison Square Garden before, but never his show.
Wyclef Jean broke T.I..'s halftime silence by playing the national anthem on guitar. 'Clef later ran into the crowd during "My Swag." Then Tip started another cut from his album, "Watch What You Say." After the first verse, a banner of Jay-Z's hands throwing up the dynasty sign rolled down the back of the stage.
Jay-Z then began to stroll down a long runway, to the main stage, in the middle of the Garden. The crowd must not have believed its eyes, because there was no reaction at first. Once Jay started to rap his lines — "Rap music is something ain't it? The way these pictures is painted/ You swear these n----s is dangerous, the gangsta sh-- they be saying" — the audience went wild.
After "Watch What You Say," Jay let everyone know the Roc was in the building — and when Tip's DJ for the show, Drama, dropped the beat, the point was driven home. As Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing" started to play, 'Ye himself walked slowly from the runway to the main stage. main stage. Moments earlier though, 50 ran to the stage from another part of the venue — seemingly unplanned, because Jay and T.I. both looked a little surprised. According to a source close to the event, 50 and Diddy had been seen joking with T.I. in his dressing room earlier in the night, but Fif coming onstage with Tip and company was not part of the program. It turned out to be some welcomed improvising, though.
There were no incidents and no signs of rivalries — as Kanye rapped, 50 ran around the stage like he was doing a victory lap, stopping along the way to bump shoulders and say what's up to Tip, 'Ye and Jay. Before Kanye could even make it to the main stage though, Diddy sprinted from the back, running past West and onto the runway to the big stage. Although the audience was rocking to West, the spectacle of seeing everybody together onstage — especially the two guys who have been hyping their September 11 in-store showdown (see "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other' " and "50 Cent Explains Last Week's Blowup, Says 'I Will Be #1 On September 11' ") — on one stage at the same time took precedence. They were all smiling and dancing and genuinely enjoying the camaraderie. 50 even threw up the Roc-A-Fella diamond sign with his hands for a couple of seconds.
"Laaaaa, la, la, la, wait till I get my money right," Kanye continued, as he stood next to 50, Diddy and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z then did one of his classics, "Encore," and the show ended with everyone in the Garden unanimously cheering and making the Roc sign. Some fans were saying that the cheers in the Garden sounded louder than when close to 60,000 at Giants Stadium did the same thing a few years ago during Summer Jam.
With everyone still hanging out onstage, Swizz Beatz and Ciara eventually made it to the stage as well, with Swizz doing one of the biggest records in rap right now, "Money in the Bank."
T.I. and Ciara ended their triumphant New York visit with renditions of his "What You Know?" and "Big Things Poppin'." CiCi proclaimed herself "Queen of the South," and rightly so.
Hungry for more hip-hop coverage? Sink your teeth into our "Hottest MCs in the Game" feature.
Seen a great show? MTV News wants your photos, videos and reports from all the latest concerts for our new You R Here community. Check out the site to read, rate and comment on reviews from around the globe. We'll put the best stuff on our You R Here blog, and even in on-air news!
You Tell Us
Lindsay Lohan Reaches Plea Deal, Will Serve One Day In Jail; 'I Relapsed,' Actress Says
My life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs,' Lohan says in statement.
Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday (August 23) on misdemeanor DUI and drug charges that will find her spending one day in jail, serving 10 days of community service and completing a drug-treatment program, according to The Associated Press. She will not stand trial.
Through her lawyer, Lohan pleaded no contest to two counts of driving under the influence, two counts of being under the influence of a controlled substance (cocaine), and reckless driving (see "Lindsay Lohan Arrested Again For DUI; Reportedly Checks Back Into Rehab"). All the charges are misdemeanors — a lucky break for the actress, as felony charges could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Lohan was placed on 36 months probation and will be required to complete an 18-month alcohol-education program and pay hundreds of dollars in fines. She must also finish a three-day county coroner program that will require her to visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.
"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan wrote in a statement released to MTV News. "Recently, I relapsed and did things for which I am ashamed. I broke the law, and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to charges in my case.
"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself," the statement continues. "I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have. I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life. Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."
Lohan's cocaine charges stem from a small packet of cocaine police discovered in her jeans when she was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. According to prosecutors, the amount of cocaine found tested below the .05 grams required to qualify for a felony filing. After a May 26 crash — in which Lohan is alleged to have lost control of her Mercedes and crashed into a tree on Sunset Boulevard at 5:26 a.m. — tests on a substance found in Lohan's purse came up as .04 grams of cocaine powder, according to a press release on the charges from the DA's office.
During her second arrest — for allegedly chasing another car driven by the mother of a former assistant — officers found a container on Lohan that tested positive for .02 grams of cocaine, according to the DA office press release (see "Lindsay Lohan Proclaims Innocence, Says Drugs Were 'Not Mine': Report").
Lohan is currently at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Sundance, Utah, where she has been ordered to stay indefinitely.
Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday (August 23) on misdemeanor DUI and drug charges that will find her spending one day in jail, serving 10 days of community service and completing a drug-treatment program, according to The Associated Press. She will not stand trial.
Through her lawyer, Lohan pleaded no contest to two counts of driving under the influence, two counts of being under the influence of a controlled substance (cocaine), and reckless driving (see "Lindsay Lohan Arrested Again For DUI; Reportedly Checks Back Into Rehab"). All the charges are misdemeanors — a lucky break for the actress, as felony charges could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Lohan was placed on 36 months probation and will be required to complete an 18-month alcohol-education program and pay hundreds of dollars in fines. She must also finish a three-day county coroner program that will require her to visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.
"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan wrote in a statement released to MTV News. "Recently, I relapsed and did things for which I am ashamed. I broke the law, and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to charges in my case.
"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself," the statement continues. "I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have. I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life. Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."
Lohan's cocaine charges stem from a small packet of cocaine police discovered in her jeans when she was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. According to prosecutors, the amount of cocaine found tested below the .05 grams required to qualify for a felony filing. After a May 26 crash — in which Lohan is alleged to have lost control of her Mercedes and crashed into a tree on Sunset Boulevard at 5:26 a.m. — tests on a substance found in Lohan's purse came up as .04 grams of cocaine powder, according to a press release on the charges from the DA's office.
During her second arrest — for allegedly chasing another car driven by the mother of a former assistant — officers found a container on Lohan that tested positive for .02 grams of cocaine, according to the DA office press release (see "Lindsay Lohan Proclaims Innocence, Says Drugs Were 'Not Mine': Report").
Lohan is currently at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Sundance, Utah, where she has been ordered to stay indefinitely.
Summit Amid Trade Clouds
Given the free-market leanings of the heads of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, North American summit meetings August 20-21 in Montebello, Quebec, were broadly billed as an opportunity to expand economic links. But the two-day talks were also dogged by new domestic doubts over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), especially in the United States, as well as concerns over immigration and border security (WSJ).
The meetings opened amid anti-globalization protests (CTV), with activists expressing concerns over environmental matters like climate change and fresh water supplies. Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced to U.S. President George W. Bush that Canada will withdraw its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by February 2009 unless Harper has a parliamentary “endorsement” (Toronto Star) to maintain a troop presence there. In a joint statement concluding the talks, the leaders reported progress on public health initiatives and energy cooperation, among other projects.
Bush entered the meetings with ambitious goals of his own. He praised NAFTA (Bloomberg), pushing for provisions relating to border controls and energy to try to improve the bloc’s competitiveness with respect to China and India. In bilateral talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Bush worked to hammer out the details of a potentially sweeping aid package intended to help Mexico clamp down on its narcotics trade.
Besides his Afghanistan statements, Canada’s Harper also focused his attention on asserting his country’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, though Canadian news sources said Harper and Bush “agreed to disagree” on the Arctic dispute. Canada and Mexico also broached bilateral concerns, with Harper signaling he hopes to hold private meetings (Globe & Mail) with Calderon to work on a plan that could bring more Mexican workers to Canada.
Despite general agreement among the summit's leaders on the benefits of trade liberalization, the meetings did not produce any significant breakthroughs on trade. Bush, Calderon, and Harper—all of whom face legislatures dominated by opposition parties—have to cope with varying degrees of domestic opposition to trade expansion.
Opposition to trade liberalization runs particularly deep in the United States, with congressional Democrats increasingly wary of trade agreements, and specifically NAFTA. This Backgrounder looks at the impact of the Democratic-majority Congress on foreign policy, noting that Democrats have shown “little enthusiasm” for expanding existing trade deals or forming new ones. This attitude became more apparent in 2007 as Congress refused to renew President Bush’s trade promotion authority, effectively halting U.S. efforts to secure a multilateral trade deal through the Doha round of trade negotiations.
With influential labor union leaders eager to roll back NAFTA, North American trade has also emerged as a top issue in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections. In a rebuff to President Bush, every major Democratic candidate has expressed interest in either amending or heavily scrutinizing NAFTA (Bloomberg). A recent Foreign Affairs article notes a shift toward protectionist sentiment in the United States generally, and particularly among Democrats. The New York Times says the issue is emerging as “Democrats’ third rail.” This CFR.org Issue Tracker takes stock of the candidates’ policies toward trade.
The meetings opened amid anti-globalization protests (CTV), with activists expressing concerns over environmental matters like climate change and fresh water supplies. Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced to U.S. President George W. Bush that Canada will withdraw its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by February 2009 unless Harper has a parliamentary “endorsement” (Toronto Star) to maintain a troop presence there. In a joint statement concluding the talks, the leaders reported progress on public health initiatives and energy cooperation, among other projects.
Bush entered the meetings with ambitious goals of his own. He praised NAFTA (Bloomberg), pushing for provisions relating to border controls and energy to try to improve the bloc’s competitiveness with respect to China and India. In bilateral talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Bush worked to hammer out the details of a potentially sweeping aid package intended to help Mexico clamp down on its narcotics trade.
Besides his Afghanistan statements, Canada’s Harper also focused his attention on asserting his country’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, though Canadian news sources said Harper and Bush “agreed to disagree” on the Arctic dispute. Canada and Mexico also broached bilateral concerns, with Harper signaling he hopes to hold private meetings (Globe & Mail) with Calderon to work on a plan that could bring more Mexican workers to Canada.
Despite general agreement among the summit's leaders on the benefits of trade liberalization, the meetings did not produce any significant breakthroughs on trade. Bush, Calderon, and Harper—all of whom face legislatures dominated by opposition parties—have to cope with varying degrees of domestic opposition to trade expansion.
Opposition to trade liberalization runs particularly deep in the United States, with congressional Democrats increasingly wary of trade agreements, and specifically NAFTA. This Backgrounder looks at the impact of the Democratic-majority Congress on foreign policy, noting that Democrats have shown “little enthusiasm” for expanding existing trade deals or forming new ones. This attitude became more apparent in 2007 as Congress refused to renew President Bush’s trade promotion authority, effectively halting U.S. efforts to secure a multilateral trade deal through the Doha round of trade negotiations.
With influential labor union leaders eager to roll back NAFTA, North American trade has also emerged as a top issue in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections. In a rebuff to President Bush, every major Democratic candidate has expressed interest in either amending or heavily scrutinizing NAFTA (Bloomberg). A recent Foreign Affairs article notes a shift toward protectionist sentiment in the United States generally, and particularly among Democrats. The New York Times says the issue is emerging as “Democrats’ third rail.” This CFR.org Issue Tracker takes stock of the candidates’ policies toward trade.
T.I., Akon, Snoop, Pimp C Get Behind Nelly's Brass Knuckles
Nelly has set a tentative release date of October 16 for his first album in three years, Brass Knuckles.
Earlier this year, producer Jermaine Dupri — who said Nells is "the only person I go in the studio with and party all night" — said Nelly was looking to get Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and even Bruce Springsteen on the LP.
While those names aren't confirmed, T.I., Akon, Snoop Dogg, UGK's Pimp C, Babyface and Derrty Entertainment artist Avery Storm have all jumped on the mic.
In addition to Dupri, Pharrell Williams and Bryan-Michael Cox are among the project's producers.
The first single, "Wadsyaname," just hit the streets and follows Nelly's tradition of allowing his Midwestern accent and slang to spill into his lyrics and spelling: He's saying, "What's your name?" to a lady he's approaching.
"Shawty, shawty, shawty, what your name is?" he asks on the chorus. "Shawty, shawty, shawty what's your sign?"
In the song's lyrics, Nelly doesn't have the best intentions, but he doesn't mean any harm either.
"I'm trying to stay respectful and polite/ You could tell me to go to hell if you like/ I ain't the one to be paying to do the do/ Before it's over you going to say, 'I should be paying you.' "
"Wadsyaname" was produced by Neff-U. Another track slotted for the album, "Cut It Out," featuring Pimp C and the Youngbloodz's Sean P., has hit the streets unofficially.
Earlier this year, producer Jermaine Dupri — who said Nells is "the only person I go in the studio with and party all night" — said Nelly was looking to get Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and even Bruce Springsteen on the LP.
While those names aren't confirmed, T.I., Akon, Snoop Dogg, UGK's Pimp C, Babyface and Derrty Entertainment artist Avery Storm have all jumped on the mic.
In addition to Dupri, Pharrell Williams and Bryan-Michael Cox are among the project's producers.
The first single, "Wadsyaname," just hit the streets and follows Nelly's tradition of allowing his Midwestern accent and slang to spill into his lyrics and spelling: He's saying, "What's your name?" to a lady he's approaching.
"Shawty, shawty, shawty, what your name is?" he asks on the chorus. "Shawty, shawty, shawty what's your sign?"
In the song's lyrics, Nelly doesn't have the best intentions, but he doesn't mean any harm either.
"I'm trying to stay respectful and polite/ You could tell me to go to hell if you like/ I ain't the one to be paying to do the do/ Before it's over you going to say, 'I should be paying you.' "
"Wadsyaname" was produced by Neff-U. Another track slotted for the album, "Cut It Out," featuring Pimp C and the Youngbloodz's Sean P., has hit the streets unofficially.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
HOLLYWOOD TO A REAL WAR
Is Hollywood too timid for the war on terror?
Thanks to political correctness, you don't see much about the greatest conflict of our time on the big screen.
I RECENTLY attended "FBI 101," a G-man seminar for Hollywood writers. I do this kind of thing a lot: law enforcement seminars, ride-alongs, citizen academies and the like. It's a simple deal. The writers get information and research contacts; the lawdogs get a fighting chance at being portrayed realistically and maybe, on occasion, even sympathetically.
Now, in my case, the federales were preaching to the converted. Any agency with a record of battling gangsters, communists and dirty pols can show up as good guys in my work anytime. And never mind just their record. Since 9/11 — chastened by blunders from within and above — the FBI has reinvented itself as a thin gray line against Islamic terrorism. Pulling 16-hour days, volunteering for repeated tours of duty at FBI outposts in the Middle East, constantly aware that their failures will be remembered when their successes are forgotten, the G-people are clearly heroes.
But if they're hoping that their seminar will win them props from filmmakers in general — a picture or two celebrating their courageous work in the war on terror — I suspect they are going to be disappointed. In the history of our time as told by the movies, the war on terror largely does not exist.
Which is passing strange, you know. Because the war on terror is the history of our time. The outcome of our battle against the demographic, political and military upsurge of a hateful theology and its oppressive political vision will determine the fate of freedom in this century.
Television — more populist, hungrier for content and less dependent on foreign audiences — reflects this fact with shows such as "24" and "The Unit." But at the movies, all we're getting is home-front angst and the occasional "Syriana," in which "moderate" Islam is thwarted by evil American interests. But the notion that this war is about our moral failings is comfort fantasy, pure and simple. It soothes us with the false idea that, if we but mend ourselves, the scary people will leave us alone.
The real world is both darker than that and lighted brighter in places by surprising fires of nobility. It's darker because our enemies were not created by the peccadilloes of free people and will not melt away before a moral perfection that we, in any case, can never achieve. It's brighter because there are heroes like the FBI, the military and the cop on the corner who will give up everything, even their lives, to stop these madmen.
That kind of rousing story seems tailor-made for films. So why aren't they telling it? It's not just about left and right, blue and red; it really isn't. You don't have to like President Bush or support our efforts in Iraq to understand the threat of conspirators plotting to kill your children in the name of jihad.
In all fairness, moviemakers have a legitimately baffling problem with the nature of the war itself. In order to honestly dramatize the simple truth about this existential struggle, you have to depict right-minded Americans — some of whom may be white and male and Christian — hunting down and killing dark-skinned villains of a false and wicked creed. That's what's happening, on a good day anyway, so that's what you'd have to show.
Moviemakers are reluctant to do that because, even though it's the truth, on screen it might appear bigoted and jingoistic. You can call that political correctness or multiculturalism gone mad — and sure, there's a lot of that going around. But despite what you might have heard, there are sensible, patriotic people in the movie business too. And even they, I suspect, falter before the prospect of presenting such a scenario.
We cherish the religious tolerance of our society, after all. Plus, we're less than a lifetime away from Jim Crow and, decent people that we are, we're rightly humbled by the moral failures of our past. We've become uncomfortable to the point of paralysis when reality draws the limits of tolerance and survival demands pride in our traditions and ferocity in their defense. We can show homegrown terrorists in, say, "Déjà Vu" or real-life ones, as in "United 93," but we can't bring ourselves to fictionalize the larger idea: Islamo-fascism is an evil and American liberty a good.
Which is a shame. It's a shame for so powerful an art form to become irrelevant because we can't find a way to dramatize the central event of our time. It's a shame that we live under the tireless protection of lawmen and warriors and don't pay tribute to them. And purely in artistic terms, it's a shame that so many great stories are just waiting to be told and we're not telling them.
But thanks, anyway, to the men and women of the FBI, for the seminar and, oh yeah, for trying to keep me alive and free. You truly have my gratitude. Just don't expect to see it at the movies.
Thanks to political correctness, you don't see much about the greatest conflict of our time on the big screen.
I RECENTLY attended "FBI 101," a G-man seminar for Hollywood writers. I do this kind of thing a lot: law enforcement seminars, ride-alongs, citizen academies and the like. It's a simple deal. The writers get information and research contacts; the lawdogs get a fighting chance at being portrayed realistically and maybe, on occasion, even sympathetically.
Now, in my case, the federales were preaching to the converted. Any agency with a record of battling gangsters, communists and dirty pols can show up as good guys in my work anytime. And never mind just their record. Since 9/11 — chastened by blunders from within and above — the FBI has reinvented itself as a thin gray line against Islamic terrorism. Pulling 16-hour days, volunteering for repeated tours of duty at FBI outposts in the Middle East, constantly aware that their failures will be remembered when their successes are forgotten, the G-people are clearly heroes.
But if they're hoping that their seminar will win them props from filmmakers in general — a picture or two celebrating their courageous work in the war on terror — I suspect they are going to be disappointed. In the history of our time as told by the movies, the war on terror largely does not exist.
Which is passing strange, you know. Because the war on terror is the history of our time. The outcome of our battle against the demographic, political and military upsurge of a hateful theology and its oppressive political vision will determine the fate of freedom in this century.
Television — more populist, hungrier for content and less dependent on foreign audiences — reflects this fact with shows such as "24" and "The Unit." But at the movies, all we're getting is home-front angst and the occasional "Syriana," in which "moderate" Islam is thwarted by evil American interests. But the notion that this war is about our moral failings is comfort fantasy, pure and simple. It soothes us with the false idea that, if we but mend ourselves, the scary people will leave us alone.
The real world is both darker than that and lighted brighter in places by surprising fires of nobility. It's darker because our enemies were not created by the peccadilloes of free people and will not melt away before a moral perfection that we, in any case, can never achieve. It's brighter because there are heroes like the FBI, the military and the cop on the corner who will give up everything, even their lives, to stop these madmen.
That kind of rousing story seems tailor-made for films. So why aren't they telling it? It's not just about left and right, blue and red; it really isn't. You don't have to like President Bush or support our efforts in Iraq to understand the threat of conspirators plotting to kill your children in the name of jihad.
In all fairness, moviemakers have a legitimately baffling problem with the nature of the war itself. In order to honestly dramatize the simple truth about this existential struggle, you have to depict right-minded Americans — some of whom may be white and male and Christian — hunting down and killing dark-skinned villains of a false and wicked creed. That's what's happening, on a good day anyway, so that's what you'd have to show.
Moviemakers are reluctant to do that because, even though it's the truth, on screen it might appear bigoted and jingoistic. You can call that political correctness or multiculturalism gone mad — and sure, there's a lot of that going around. But despite what you might have heard, there are sensible, patriotic people in the movie business too. And even they, I suspect, falter before the prospect of presenting such a scenario.
We cherish the religious tolerance of our society, after all. Plus, we're less than a lifetime away from Jim Crow and, decent people that we are, we're rightly humbled by the moral failures of our past. We've become uncomfortable to the point of paralysis when reality draws the limits of tolerance and survival demands pride in our traditions and ferocity in their defense. We can show homegrown terrorists in, say, "Déjà Vu" or real-life ones, as in "United 93," but we can't bring ourselves to fictionalize the larger idea: Islamo-fascism is an evil and American liberty a good.
Which is a shame. It's a shame for so powerful an art form to become irrelevant because we can't find a way to dramatize the central event of our time. It's a shame that we live under the tireless protection of lawmen and warriors and don't pay tribute to them. And purely in artistic terms, it's a shame that so many great stories are just waiting to be told and we're not telling them.
But thanks, anyway, to the men and women of the FBI, for the seminar and, oh yeah, for trying to keep me alive and free. You truly have my gratitude. Just don't expect to see it at the movies.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
LOVE VILLAINS
Admit it, fans: We love the villain
Barry BondsLet’s get it out there once and for all: Baseball fans love Barry Bonds.
No? Well what the hell am I supposed to think when they vote him into the All Star Game, despite the constant barrage of hate that the general population normally spews at him?
Bonds is by far the most hated athlete in all of sports, yet he’s elected – by the fans – to what’s supposed to reward the best players from the first half of the season. What gives?
I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out, and I've concluded that most fans fall into one of these three categories regarding Bonds' selection into the All Star Game and him in general.
1. You’re a conspiracy theorist who believes Major League Baseball rigged the voting so Bonds could play at his home park in San Francisco. It’s about marketing the game and therefore the all mighty dollar.
2. You actually like Bonds or the Giants, truly think he never took anything to enhance his already pretty dominant game or believe he was the best player on his team in the first half.
3. You simply hate him, but can’t get enough of all the drama and therefore love to see him in the national spotlight at all times.
If you fit into the first category, fine, whatever helps you sleep at night. It is interesting how Bonds got thousands of votes in 37 seconds in order to leapfrog the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, but something tells me Major League Baseball stayed out of this one.
Think about it, Bud the slug Selig isn’t well liked and at times this year he’s tried to paint a public picture that he disapproves of Bonds. He even went so far as to say that he may not attend any games in which Bonds could potentially break the record, so why allow the league to put him in the All Star Game? Seems counterproductive to me, but it’s still a possibility when you think of how much money Bonds could bring to the league while playing at his home park.
Moving on, though, if you fit into the second category, then you’ve got nothing to explain. You’re naïve if you think for one second he didn’t juice, but it’s understandable to vote Bonds in if you’re a fan of his or just backing him because he plays for your favorite team.
Onto the third category, which is the one I truly believe 75 percent of sports fans fit into. You need the monster and deep down love the idea that you get to bitch about how he shouldn’t have made the game because he cheated, he’s an ass, or the pure fact that he wasn’t even the best Giant throughout the first half (that honor goes to Bengie Molina, by the way, seeing as how he can actually play defense and was way more clutch at the plate than Bonds).
Sure, you love to stand around the water cooler with your friends, on top of your soapbox proclaiming how he cheated the game, Hank Aaron and the fans. You boo him vehemently when he comes to your baseball city and post on Internet message boards how he’s the scum of the earth.
But all the while, you’re punching “B. Bonds” on the All-Star ballot, snapping countless pictures of him at the ball yard and digging up everything you can on the web.
We love to hate guys like Bonds, just like we love to hate the Spurs and Patriots for winning all the time and the Yankees for, well, being the Yankees.
We can’t stand that a guy like Bonds cheated in his profession while we struggle just to make ends meet in ours.
We can’t stand that franchises like the Spurs and Patriots are considered dynasties because, “the Celtics and Cowboys back in my day – now those were dynasties!”
We can’t stand that the Yankees can buy or trade for any player and therefore have an unfair advantage over the Devil Rays, Pirates and Nationals.
Why on earth, then, do the Yankees sell out at every stadium across America if they’re hated? People want to see them go down in flames, because it’s the American way that David can beat Goliath in sports, and that the poor or middle class can rise up against the wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way, of course, but most people wont’ admit to those feelings.
The truth of the matter is that we as sports fans need Bonds, the Spurs, the Patriots and the Bronx Bombers. They breed controversy in their own special way and with that, it gives us a reason to call into a sports radio show, constantly debate on the Internet or tune in to the 24-hour television networks to complain about how these villains make our blood boil.
Barry Bonds is the perfect villain in every sense of the word. There are countless MLB players who have cheated, yet only one is hated to all extremes. Is Sammy Sosa hated these days? Hell no; in fact, didn’t we just celebrate his 600th home run? How about Mark McGwire? Does his name always come up when venom is being spat at Bonds? No, because we only need one bad guy in order to stoke the flames until the next one comes along.
Alex RodriguezFunny thing is, who’s the next villain in baseball? Once Bonds retires, who else is there to hate? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? The Yankees will always – unless a cap is implemented, of course – be the villain team that everyone hates. But they still don’t match Bonds in a lot of ways because while they can win championships, they can’t touch the individual records that sports fans cherish as much as the player who sets them does.
That’s why sports fans better hope Alex Rodriguez stays a Yankee (and married to his wacko wife for, that matter). He doesn’t have the same aura about him as a Derek Jeter, rarely says the right thing and is great enough to make records fall. In other words, he’s the perfect villain to supplant Bonds once he finally retires.
I think subconsciously, fans voted Bonds an All-Star because they know his time is almost up. Fairly soon there won’t be the constant swirl of controversy every time he steps to the plate or hits a ball 475 feet into the upper deck. No more ESPN cut-ins of his at bats, Pedro Gomez special reports, “Bonds on Bonds,” or special treatment from Giants’ owner Peter McGowan. Fans will shout from the rooftops how much they hate the aforementioned “Bondsisms”, but they also need to admit how important the guy is in the scope of sports. He – much like the Patriots, Spurs and Yankees – gives us reason to say, “He’s not that good, and let me tell you why….”
The villain’s reign of terror is coming to an end and all of a sudden, there’s a growing void in the game. Why else would the starting lineup for next week’s All Star Game list “B. Bonds” in left field?
Barry BondsLet’s get it out there once and for all: Baseball fans love Barry Bonds.
No? Well what the hell am I supposed to think when they vote him into the All Star Game, despite the constant barrage of hate that the general population normally spews at him?
Bonds is by far the most hated athlete in all of sports, yet he’s elected – by the fans – to what’s supposed to reward the best players from the first half of the season. What gives?
I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out, and I've concluded that most fans fall into one of these three categories regarding Bonds' selection into the All Star Game and him in general.
1. You’re a conspiracy theorist who believes Major League Baseball rigged the voting so Bonds could play at his home park in San Francisco. It’s about marketing the game and therefore the all mighty dollar.
2. You actually like Bonds or the Giants, truly think he never took anything to enhance his already pretty dominant game or believe he was the best player on his team in the first half.
3. You simply hate him, but can’t get enough of all the drama and therefore love to see him in the national spotlight at all times.
If you fit into the first category, fine, whatever helps you sleep at night. It is interesting how Bonds got thousands of votes in 37 seconds in order to leapfrog the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, but something tells me Major League Baseball stayed out of this one.
Think about it, Bud the slug Selig isn’t well liked and at times this year he’s tried to paint a public picture that he disapproves of Bonds. He even went so far as to say that he may not attend any games in which Bonds could potentially break the record, so why allow the league to put him in the All Star Game? Seems counterproductive to me, but it’s still a possibility when you think of how much money Bonds could bring to the league while playing at his home park.
Moving on, though, if you fit into the second category, then you’ve got nothing to explain. You’re naïve if you think for one second he didn’t juice, but it’s understandable to vote Bonds in if you’re a fan of his or just backing him because he plays for your favorite team.
Onto the third category, which is the one I truly believe 75 percent of sports fans fit into. You need the monster and deep down love the idea that you get to bitch about how he shouldn’t have made the game because he cheated, he’s an ass, or the pure fact that he wasn’t even the best Giant throughout the first half (that honor goes to Bengie Molina, by the way, seeing as how he can actually play defense and was way more clutch at the plate than Bonds).
Sure, you love to stand around the water cooler with your friends, on top of your soapbox proclaiming how he cheated the game, Hank Aaron and the fans. You boo him vehemently when he comes to your baseball city and post on Internet message boards how he’s the scum of the earth.
But all the while, you’re punching “B. Bonds” on the All-Star ballot, snapping countless pictures of him at the ball yard and digging up everything you can on the web.
We love to hate guys like Bonds, just like we love to hate the Spurs and Patriots for winning all the time and the Yankees for, well, being the Yankees.
We can’t stand that a guy like Bonds cheated in his profession while we struggle just to make ends meet in ours.
We can’t stand that franchises like the Spurs and Patriots are considered dynasties because, “the Celtics and Cowboys back in my day – now those were dynasties!”
We can’t stand that the Yankees can buy or trade for any player and therefore have an unfair advantage over the Devil Rays, Pirates and Nationals.
Why on earth, then, do the Yankees sell out at every stadium across America if they’re hated? People want to see them go down in flames, because it’s the American way that David can beat Goliath in sports, and that the poor or middle class can rise up against the wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way, of course, but most people wont’ admit to those feelings.
The truth of the matter is that we as sports fans need Bonds, the Spurs, the Patriots and the Bronx Bombers. They breed controversy in their own special way and with that, it gives us a reason to call into a sports radio show, constantly debate on the Internet or tune in to the 24-hour television networks to complain about how these villains make our blood boil.
Barry Bonds is the perfect villain in every sense of the word. There are countless MLB players who have cheated, yet only one is hated to all extremes. Is Sammy Sosa hated these days? Hell no; in fact, didn’t we just celebrate his 600th home run? How about Mark McGwire? Does his name always come up when venom is being spat at Bonds? No, because we only need one bad guy in order to stoke the flames until the next one comes along.
Alex RodriguezFunny thing is, who’s the next villain in baseball? Once Bonds retires, who else is there to hate? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? The Yankees will always – unless a cap is implemented, of course – be the villain team that everyone hates. But they still don’t match Bonds in a lot of ways because while they can win championships, they can’t touch the individual records that sports fans cherish as much as the player who sets them does.
That’s why sports fans better hope Alex Rodriguez stays a Yankee (and married to his wacko wife for, that matter). He doesn’t have the same aura about him as a Derek Jeter, rarely says the right thing and is great enough to make records fall. In other words, he’s the perfect villain to supplant Bonds once he finally retires.
I think subconsciously, fans voted Bonds an All-Star because they know his time is almost up. Fairly soon there won’t be the constant swirl of controversy every time he steps to the plate or hits a ball 475 feet into the upper deck. No more ESPN cut-ins of his at bats, Pedro Gomez special reports, “Bonds on Bonds,” or special treatment from Giants’ owner Peter McGowan. Fans will shout from the rooftops how much they hate the aforementioned “Bondsisms”, but they also need to admit how important the guy is in the scope of sports. He – much like the Patriots, Spurs and Yankees – gives us reason to say, “He’s not that good, and let me tell you why….”
The villain’s reign of terror is coming to an end and all of a sudden, there’s a growing void in the game. Why else would the starting lineup for next week’s All Star Game list “B. Bonds” in left field?
GOOD PHEROMONE
Most effective "Pheromone" Product Reviews
Overview:
This site was estblished to rate, review, and compare the various "Pheromone" products on the internet. I quote the word "pheromone" because not all of the products reviewed actually have pheromones.
Yes, they are marketed as pheromone cologne + sprays, but not all of them are! If you're about to spend $20-$100 on something to help you get more snatch, you want it to work, assuming it arrives in the first place! Play your cards right and you could have a few months supply of "liquid panty remover" at your disposal for the price of a bad date. Purchase the wrong product and you're out of cash and at the same place you were before you tried the pheromones. The fact is that real pheromones do work! The problems is cutting through the hype to find out which ones are real and work, which ones are real and kinda work, and which ones are pure rip-off crap! That is exactly the purpose of this website, as I was in the same position you are in a few months back when I first heard about human sex pheromones. I wish there was a site like this, so I could have cut through the garbage, and just purchased the real deal. All in all, it was worth it, as I now know first hand what WORKS and what DOESN'T, and if you're like me, you would pay any reasonable dollar amount to know what can get you more ass! So anyway, here are my honest reviews:
My Number One Pick:
Pherlure Cologne is the winner, too bad I didn't find it first. First off, it's the only one on the list that uses an exclusive pheromone, Di-Dehydroepiandrosterone, to be university tested by University of Chicago. University of Chicago was actually the first University to find humans respond to pheromones in the 90's. The tests they've done on this brand showed that it works! By far the most effective Pheromone product I've tested, increased smiles, flirting, calls, action... The stuff also smells awsome, I've gotten compliments on just the smell. Highly Recommended.
Runner Up:
Athena Pheromones were the first I bought because I heard them mentioned in a news article as a legitmate pheromone brand. The pheromones did work on their own and with an aftershave, however the steep $99.99 price tag is hard getting over. They also weren't nearly as effective as Pherlure Cologne. The pheromones are REAL, so it is Recommended as an aftershave additive.
Pherx gets 2 stars because it did arrive on time and it does seem to be legitmate Androstenone Pheromone. Unfortunately, Androstenone pheromone doesn't seem to do much. This falls under the "Real Pheromones that kinda work" so it's not really recommended to get laid, and is more of a novelty.
I heard good things about Primal instinct, unfortunately the Over-Priced Crap never arrived at first! No repsonse from the first vendor which is a popular pheromone store. I then bought direct from getprimal.com which arrived on time, unfortunately similar half ass results as Pherx above.
This stuff arrived a few days later than promised, but that would be no problem if it helped me get laid! No luck with Nexus Pheromones, not even close to having any attraction qualities. The stuff smells fine and I had high hopes for this one, but it disapoints and is not recommended.
I saw this Androstenone Pheromone Concentrate everywhere, it smells okay. Unfortunately I found out AFTER purchasing this scam that it contains about .25mg of Androstenone in the whole bottle! Not recommended, even if it did have a high amount of androstenone, it's worthless, but it doesn't, so its even more worthless!
Same scam as above, it smells a little better, but again found out AFTER purchasing it contains a trace amount of Androstenone in the bottle! Not recommended, read above.
Last Words :
As you can see, the differences in the pheromone products on the internet vary GREATLY. It's great to have science do something useful, like helping the average guy get laid! LOL. It sounded ridiculis that these "human sex pheromones" would be the key to getting more puss at first, but think about the guy that's with the HOT Girl you want, chances are he's about as average looking as can be, has a bland personality, isn't rich, and doesn't drive an 'expensive' car, yet he gets to eat that Hot Girl's Muffin whenever he wants. It seems to be a mystery why such a hot girl would want to be with him, but this is actually the norm, not the exception, i'm sure you see it everyday! Well recent science has shown that some guys just naturally produce more pheromones than others. And studies have shown that the pheromones can have a significant effect in "naturally attracting" females.
Seems almost unfair, because guess who that hot girl you crave is going to choose subconciously? It's unfair because you can do everything in your power to get that girl to like you or to just get in her pants, but if some trash ball that's producing more pheromones naturally than you is also trying to get in her pants, she'll be going down on him while you're planning your next "move" on her. That's why I was so interested in pheromones, I'm not a complete sexaholic (yeah right), but I figure I should try and do everything I possibly can to get as much ass as I possibly can.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you feel the same way. That's why I tried all these pheromone products, and since I know which ones worked for me and which ones ripped me off, I figure I should let everyone who visits my site know. It's my way of giving you some good info, getting back at the products that ripped me off, and thanking those that worked for me. As said above, I competely recommend Pherlure Pheromone Cologne, it's potent stuff that works. Athena Pheromones are good too, but they're pricier, don't come with a money-back guarantee like Pherlure, and aren't as effective as Pherlure, but they work to a degree so I can't say I don't recommend them. If you're in the United States, just go with Pherlure, trust me, you'll be thanking me later.
Overview:
This site was estblished to rate, review, and compare the various "Pheromone" products on the internet. I quote the word "pheromone" because not all of the products reviewed actually have pheromones.
Yes, they are marketed as pheromone cologne + sprays, but not all of them are! If you're about to spend $20-$100 on something to help you get more snatch, you want it to work, assuming it arrives in the first place! Play your cards right and you could have a few months supply of "liquid panty remover" at your disposal for the price of a bad date. Purchase the wrong product and you're out of cash and at the same place you were before you tried the pheromones. The fact is that real pheromones do work! The problems is cutting through the hype to find out which ones are real and work, which ones are real and kinda work, and which ones are pure rip-off crap! That is exactly the purpose of this website, as I was in the same position you are in a few months back when I first heard about human sex pheromones. I wish there was a site like this, so I could have cut through the garbage, and just purchased the real deal. All in all, it was worth it, as I now know first hand what WORKS and what DOESN'T, and if you're like me, you would pay any reasonable dollar amount to know what can get you more ass! So anyway, here are my honest reviews:
My Number One Pick:
Pherlure Cologne is the winner, too bad I didn't find it first. First off, it's the only one on the list that uses an exclusive pheromone, Di-Dehydroepiandrosterone, to be university tested by University of Chicago. University of Chicago was actually the first University to find humans respond to pheromones in the 90's. The tests they've done on this brand showed that it works! By far the most effective Pheromone product I've tested, increased smiles, flirting, calls, action... The stuff also smells awsome, I've gotten compliments on just the smell. Highly Recommended.
Runner Up:
Athena Pheromones were the first I bought because I heard them mentioned in a news article as a legitmate pheromone brand. The pheromones did work on their own and with an aftershave, however the steep $99.99 price tag is hard getting over. They also weren't nearly as effective as Pherlure Cologne. The pheromones are REAL, so it is Recommended as an aftershave additive.
Pherx gets 2 stars because it did arrive on time and it does seem to be legitmate Androstenone Pheromone. Unfortunately, Androstenone pheromone doesn't seem to do much. This falls under the "Real Pheromones that kinda work" so it's not really recommended to get laid, and is more of a novelty.
I heard good things about Primal instinct, unfortunately the Over-Priced Crap never arrived at first! No repsonse from the first vendor which is a popular pheromone store. I then bought direct from getprimal.com which arrived on time, unfortunately similar half ass results as Pherx above.
This stuff arrived a few days later than promised, but that would be no problem if it helped me get laid! No luck with Nexus Pheromones, not even close to having any attraction qualities. The stuff smells fine and I had high hopes for this one, but it disapoints and is not recommended.
I saw this Androstenone Pheromone Concentrate everywhere, it smells okay. Unfortunately I found out AFTER purchasing this scam that it contains about .25mg of Androstenone in the whole bottle! Not recommended, even if it did have a high amount of androstenone, it's worthless, but it doesn't, so its even more worthless!
Same scam as above, it smells a little better, but again found out AFTER purchasing it contains a trace amount of Androstenone in the bottle! Not recommended, read above.
Last Words :
As you can see, the differences in the pheromone products on the internet vary GREATLY. It's great to have science do something useful, like helping the average guy get laid! LOL. It sounded ridiculis that these "human sex pheromones" would be the key to getting more puss at first, but think about the guy that's with the HOT Girl you want, chances are he's about as average looking as can be, has a bland personality, isn't rich, and doesn't drive an 'expensive' car, yet he gets to eat that Hot Girl's Muffin whenever he wants. It seems to be a mystery why such a hot girl would want to be with him, but this is actually the norm, not the exception, i'm sure you see it everyday! Well recent science has shown that some guys just naturally produce more pheromones than others. And studies have shown that the pheromones can have a significant effect in "naturally attracting" females.
Seems almost unfair, because guess who that hot girl you crave is going to choose subconciously? It's unfair because you can do everything in your power to get that girl to like you or to just get in her pants, but if some trash ball that's producing more pheromones naturally than you is also trying to get in her pants, she'll be going down on him while you're planning your next "move" on her. That's why I was so interested in pheromones, I'm not a complete sexaholic (yeah right), but I figure I should try and do everything I possibly can to get as much ass as I possibly can.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you feel the same way. That's why I tried all these pheromone products, and since I know which ones worked for me and which ones ripped me off, I figure I should let everyone who visits my site know. It's my way of giving you some good info, getting back at the products that ripped me off, and thanking those that worked for me. As said above, I competely recommend Pherlure Pheromone Cologne, it's potent stuff that works. Athena Pheromones are good too, but they're pricier, don't come with a money-back guarantee like Pherlure, and aren't as effective as Pherlure, but they work to a degree so I can't say I don't recommend them. If you're in the United States, just go with Pherlure, trust me, you'll be thanking me later.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
MOVIES IN THE INTERNET
Visited by over 50 million movie and TV lovers each month!
Welcome to the Internet Movie Database, the biggest, best, most award-winning movie and TV site on the planet. Want to make IMDb your home page? Drag this link onto your Home button.
Introducing IMDb Synopsis
Synopsis for The Matrix The new IMDb Synopsis (see the help page for the feature here) is part of our collaborative editing feature that allows contributors to directly add/update/edit/delete an in-depth synopsis for movies and TV shows. Different from our Plot Outline, the new Synopsis feature is the place to add a detailed, commentary-free description of the entire plot of a title, including spoilers. You can create a synopsis of your own for your favorite movie or TV show (you'll have to be a registered user) or collaborate on an existing one. For a movie example, take a look at the IMDb Synopsis for The Matrix, a blow-by-blow, start-to-finish account of the sci-fi/action hit. For a TV example, check out the IMDb Synopsis for the "Out of Gas" episode from "Firefly." Visit our FAQ Help page for IMDb Synopsis to find out more, and go out there and create one of your own!
Today's IMDb Poll Is Sponsored by the "World Series of Pop Culture," Only onVH1
Today's PollIn the past calendar year, I have seen more movies for the first time ...
IMDb Resume Presents Kevin Beard
Resume You don't have to be an actor to take advantage of IMDb Resume -- people from all different aspects of the business are using our services to list their credits and contact information. When you buy a resume and photo subscription, you can add three photos (one headshot, two gallery photos) for your client (or yourself) and create a resume in our resume builder. The IMDb Resume for stunt performer Kevin Beard includes a huge list of both movie and TV credits, including next month's comedy Superbad and the upcoming thriller The Mist. Kevin's photo gallery features two photos, which appear on both his resume photo page and his main name page. Ensure that your client has the best possible presentation on the IMDb and submit your resume and photos today.
IMDb Snapshot: New Photos and More
Camilla Belle - ESPY AwardsCelebrity and Event Photos: ESPY Awards - Red Carpet, Show, and Backstage and Audience, Hairspray - Los Angeles Premiere
Movie and TV Stills: Sunshine, "Big Brother 8", "Flash Gordon": See All New Photos ...
When's That Movie Opening? It's On Now Playing
Now Playing Now that the summer movie season is upon us, frequent our Now Playing calendar for the latest trailers, photos, and buzz for all of the season's releases - and those coming up later this year. It's also the place to dive into our message boards where you can discuss upcoming movies, blockbusters and indie releases both, with other IMDb users. Looking past this summer, one of the biggest upcoming films is November's Bee Movie, the animated comedy featuring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. Check out the photos (inclding Seinfeld in his bee costume at the Cannes Film Festival), the message board, view the trailer, and find all the upcoming releases, summer and fall, in Now Playin
Welcome to the Internet Movie Database, the biggest, best, most award-winning movie and TV site on the planet. Want to make IMDb your home page? Drag this link onto your Home button.
Introducing IMDb Synopsis
Synopsis for The Matrix The new IMDb Synopsis (see the help page for the feature here) is part of our collaborative editing feature that allows contributors to directly add/update/edit/delete an in-depth synopsis for movies and TV shows. Different from our Plot Outline, the new Synopsis feature is the place to add a detailed, commentary-free description of the entire plot of a title, including spoilers. You can create a synopsis of your own for your favorite movie or TV show (you'll have to be a registered user) or collaborate on an existing one. For a movie example, take a look at the IMDb Synopsis for The Matrix, a blow-by-blow, start-to-finish account of the sci-fi/action hit. For a TV example, check out the IMDb Synopsis for the "Out of Gas" episode from "Firefly." Visit our FAQ Help page for IMDb Synopsis to find out more, and go out there and create one of your own!
Today's IMDb Poll Is Sponsored by the "World Series of Pop Culture," Only onVH1
Today's PollIn the past calendar year, I have seen more movies for the first time ...
IMDb Resume Presents Kevin Beard
Resume You don't have to be an actor to take advantage of IMDb Resume -- people from all different aspects of the business are using our services to list their credits and contact information. When you buy a resume and photo subscription, you can add three photos (one headshot, two gallery photos) for your client (or yourself) and create a resume in our resume builder. The IMDb Resume for stunt performer Kevin Beard includes a huge list of both movie and TV credits, including next month's comedy Superbad and the upcoming thriller The Mist. Kevin's photo gallery features two photos, which appear on both his resume photo page and his main name page. Ensure that your client has the best possible presentation on the IMDb and submit your resume and photos today.
IMDb Snapshot: New Photos and More
Camilla Belle - ESPY AwardsCelebrity and Event Photos: ESPY Awards - Red Carpet, Show, and Backstage and Audience, Hairspray - Los Angeles Premiere
Movie and TV Stills: Sunshine, "Big Brother 8", "Flash Gordon": See All New Photos ...
When's That Movie Opening? It's On Now Playing
Now Playing Now that the summer movie season is upon us, frequent our Now Playing calendar for the latest trailers, photos, and buzz for all of the season's releases - and those coming up later this year. It's also the place to dive into our message boards where you can discuss upcoming movies, blockbusters and indie releases both, with other IMDb users. Looking past this summer, one of the biggest upcoming films is November's Bee Movie, the animated comedy featuring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. Check out the photos (inclding Seinfeld in his bee costume at the Cannes Film Festival), the message board, view the trailer, and find all the upcoming releases, summer and fall, in Now Playin
Monday, July 9, 2007
DEA KNEW....
DEA Knew Of Benoit's Excessive Steroid Buys
Killer wrestler bought 10-month anabolic supply every few weeks
JULY 2--Wrestler Chris Benoit was identified by Drug Enforcement Administration agents as an "excessive purchaser of injectable steroids" who, over the past year, was prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids every three to four weeks by a Georgia doctor who was indicted today on federal charges. Benoit, who last week murdered his wife and son before committing suicide, came to the attention of DEA agents probing RX Weight Loss, a Marietta company.
It was during that investigation, which is "currently being prosecuted in the Northern District of Georgia," that narcotics agents discovered the World Wrestling Entertainment performer's steroid purchases, according to a June 29 search warrant affidavit (an excerpt of which you'll find below). The warrant was executed at the home of Phil Astin, Benoit's doctor. In the affidavit, DEA Agent Anissa Jones reports that pharmacy records show that, from May 2006 to May 2007, Astin prescribed Benoit, on average, "a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids...every three to four weeks." Astin, the affidavit notes, has been the "subject of concern for excessive and/or suspicious prescribing activity" by local police and pharmacies.
Astin, 52, was named today in a seven-count indictment charging him with the illegal distribution of substances like Percocet and Xanax between April 2004 and September 2005. A preliminary DEA review of Astin's prodigious prescription writing has revealed that he "authorized approximately one million dosage units of various pharmaceutical controlled substances in the last two years." These scrips included "significant quantities" of an injectable anabolic steroid, reported Jones.
Killer wrestler bought 10-month anabolic supply every few weeks
JULY 2--Wrestler Chris Benoit was identified by Drug Enforcement Administration agents as an "excessive purchaser of injectable steroids" who, over the past year, was prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids every three to four weeks by a Georgia doctor who was indicted today on federal charges. Benoit, who last week murdered his wife and son before committing suicide, came to the attention of DEA agents probing RX Weight Loss, a Marietta company.
It was during that investigation, which is "currently being prosecuted in the Northern District of Georgia," that narcotics agents discovered the World Wrestling Entertainment performer's steroid purchases, according to a June 29 search warrant affidavit (an excerpt of which you'll find below). The warrant was executed at the home of Phil Astin, Benoit's doctor. In the affidavit, DEA Agent Anissa Jones reports that pharmacy records show that, from May 2006 to May 2007, Astin prescribed Benoit, on average, "a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids...every three to four weeks." Astin, the affidavit notes, has been the "subject of concern for excessive and/or suspicious prescribing activity" by local police and pharmacies.
Astin, 52, was named today in a seven-count indictment charging him with the illegal distribution of substances like Percocet and Xanax between April 2004 and September 2005. A preliminary DEA review of Astin's prodigious prescription writing has revealed that he "authorized approximately one million dosage units of various pharmaceutical controlled substances in the last two years." These scrips included "significant quantities" of an injectable anabolic steroid, reported Jones.
WHO ARE YOU......ME?
Adult Star Sued for Using Former Friend’s Real Name
HARRIS, Texas — On June 26, a suit was filed in the Harris County court against adult performer Syvette Wimberly, for misappropriating a former high school friend’s name — the suit also named Vivid Entertainment as a defendant in the case.
Kirsten Syvette Wimberly, 25, claims that a former ninth-grade friend whose real name is Lara Madden, took her stage name from Wimberly, causing “extreme embarrassment and unsubstantiated association with the pornography industry and other consequences” due to “invasion of privacy, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
According to court documents, Wimberly recently found out from an acquaintance that there was a woman appearing in adult video productions using her name. Wimberly and Madden had been friends in junior high school, but Wimberly said their relationship ended in conflict and she had lost contact with Madden after Madden left high school.
Court documents stated, “Specifically, defendant Madden deliberately chose to use plaintiff’s name as her ‘stage name’ for her pornographic performance career despite knowing the potential consequences for the plaintiff.”
“Defendant Vivid recklessly chose to accept and highly publicize plaintiff’s name as though it was defendant Madden’s name and without regard to the true person and identity of the name in question,” the document further stated.
Madden, under the name “Syvette Wimberly,” has appeared in several titles for Vivid including “Cuties Who Go All the Way,” “Cum Hither” and “Asses Ripped Apart,” as well as releases from other studios, including Teravision’s “Desperate.”
Attorney Reed Lee of Obenberger and Associates based in Chicago, Ill., told XBIZ, “In regards to Vivid, ‘negligent’ infliction of emotional distress is not actionable. It’s got to be intentional or at the very least reckless.
“There is a good definition of ‘recklessness’ from the Model Penal Code, which says that ‘reckless’ is the intentional disregard of a known risk. That is, negligence occurs when you should have known better. Intent occurs when you did know and you did it anyway. Recklessness is when you actually knew that something might be amiss and you didn’t bother to check it out,” Lee said. “It is very unlikely, absent from specific allegations, that a corporation would know that a model’s chosen nom de porn was taken from a high school enemy, deliberately to hurt the high school enemy.”
In terms of whether or not the real Wimberly has a case against the defendant Madden, Lee said, “I think it goes to show the difficulty of showing that choosing a name in the abstract is actionable by one who happens to share the name chosen.
While it may have bearing on the case that Wimberly and Madden were previously acquainted and apparently ended their association on bad terms, Lee pointed out the plaintiff, in order to have an actionable case, might have to show that Madden deliberately set out to damage Wimberly’s reputation by somehow causing people to believe that it was the plaintiff appearing in adult videos.
In a statement, Vivid said, “it is aware of the lawsuit through the media but has no comment as it has not been served.”
HARRIS, Texas — On June 26, a suit was filed in the Harris County court against adult performer Syvette Wimberly, for misappropriating a former high school friend’s name — the suit also named Vivid Entertainment as a defendant in the case.
Kirsten Syvette Wimberly, 25, claims that a former ninth-grade friend whose real name is Lara Madden, took her stage name from Wimberly, causing “extreme embarrassment and unsubstantiated association with the pornography industry and other consequences” due to “invasion of privacy, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
According to court documents, Wimberly recently found out from an acquaintance that there was a woman appearing in adult video productions using her name. Wimberly and Madden had been friends in junior high school, but Wimberly said their relationship ended in conflict and she had lost contact with Madden after Madden left high school.
Court documents stated, “Specifically, defendant Madden deliberately chose to use plaintiff’s name as her ‘stage name’ for her pornographic performance career despite knowing the potential consequences for the plaintiff.”
“Defendant Vivid recklessly chose to accept and highly publicize plaintiff’s name as though it was defendant Madden’s name and without regard to the true person and identity of the name in question,” the document further stated.
Madden, under the name “Syvette Wimberly,” has appeared in several titles for Vivid including “Cuties Who Go All the Way,” “Cum Hither” and “Asses Ripped Apart,” as well as releases from other studios, including Teravision’s “Desperate.”
Attorney Reed Lee of Obenberger and Associates based in Chicago, Ill., told XBIZ, “In regards to Vivid, ‘negligent’ infliction of emotional distress is not actionable. It’s got to be intentional or at the very least reckless.
“There is a good definition of ‘recklessness’ from the Model Penal Code, which says that ‘reckless’ is the intentional disregard of a known risk. That is, negligence occurs when you should have known better. Intent occurs when you did know and you did it anyway. Recklessness is when you actually knew that something might be amiss and you didn’t bother to check it out,” Lee said. “It is very unlikely, absent from specific allegations, that a corporation would know that a model’s chosen nom de porn was taken from a high school enemy, deliberately to hurt the high school enemy.”
In terms of whether or not the real Wimberly has a case against the defendant Madden, Lee said, “I think it goes to show the difficulty of showing that choosing a name in the abstract is actionable by one who happens to share the name chosen.
While it may have bearing on the case that Wimberly and Madden were previously acquainted and apparently ended their association on bad terms, Lee pointed out the plaintiff, in order to have an actionable case, might have to show that Madden deliberately set out to damage Wimberly’s reputation by somehow causing people to believe that it was the plaintiff appearing in adult videos.
In a statement, Vivid said, “it is aware of the lawsuit through the media but has no comment as it has not been served.”
DAN PATRICK IS "OUT"
Dan Patrick Leaves ESPN
Supposedly, he’s leaving. But maybe he isn’t. Everyone we’ve spoken with seems to think the guy would be nuts to leave without a safety net … so perhaps Patrick already has something else lined up. Makes sense, right? Plus, USA Today, which gets handed all kinds of ESPN scoops, had nothing in the paper this morning, so maybe Patrick isn’t leaving after all.
At any rate, the announcement should be coming any moment now, and since we’re not near a radio, take this opportunity to discuss all things Dan Patrick right here.
[Update from a reader who listened to the announcement: “Leaving ESPN august 17th to go out on his own and be a free agent. has been taking ESPN for granted, didnt think it was fair for these great people. ESPN tried to talk him out of it. He has no animosity with ESPN, and neither do they. Hopes to be doing radio somewhere somehow down the line. Off last week because they asked him to reconsider. Last week will be a special week of recaps, and specials.]
Supposedly, he’s leaving. But maybe he isn’t. Everyone we’ve spoken with seems to think the guy would be nuts to leave without a safety net … so perhaps Patrick already has something else lined up. Makes sense, right? Plus, USA Today, which gets handed all kinds of ESPN scoops, had nothing in the paper this morning, so maybe Patrick isn’t leaving after all.
At any rate, the announcement should be coming any moment now, and since we’re not near a radio, take this opportunity to discuss all things Dan Patrick right here.
[Update from a reader who listened to the announcement: “Leaving ESPN august 17th to go out on his own and be a free agent. has been taking ESPN for granted, didnt think it was fair for these great people. ESPN tried to talk him out of it. He has no animosity with ESPN, and neither do they. Hopes to be doing radio somewhere somehow down the line. Off last week because they asked him to reconsider. Last week will be a special week of recaps, and specials.]
Monday, June 25, 2007
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEX
Birds do it, bees do it, humans since the dawn of time have done it.
But just how much has the act really changed through the millennia and even in past decades? Are humans doing it more? Are we doing it better? Sort of, say scientists. But it's how people fess up to the truth about their sex lives that has changed the most over the years.
Humans have basically been the same anatomically for about 100,000 years—so what is safe to say is that if we enjoy it now, then so did our cave-dwelling ancestors and everyone else since, experts say.
"Just as our bodies tell us what we might like to eat, or when we should go to sleep, they lay down for us our pattern of lust," says University of Toronto psychologist Edward Shorter. "Sex has always offered pleasure."
Hard wired
Sexuality has a lot to do with our biological framework, agreed Joann Rodgers, director of media relations and lecturer at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
"People and indeed all animals are hard wired to seek out sex and to continue to do so," Rodgers said in a recent interview. "I imagine that is evidence that people at least like sex and even if they don't they engage in it as a biological imperative."
It is nearly impossible to tell, however, whether people enjoyed sex more 50 years ago or 50,000 years ago, said David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas and author of "The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating" (Basic Books, 2003).
There is "no reason to think that we do more now than in the past, although we are certainly more frank about it," Buss told LiveScience.
Indeed, cultural restraints—rather than anything anatomical—have had the biggest effect on our sexual history, Shorter says.
"To be sure, what people actually experience is always a mixture of biological and social conditioning: Desire surges from the body, the mind interprets what society will accept and what not, and the rest of the signals are edited out by culture," he writes in his book, "Written in the Flesh: A History of Desire" (University of Toronto Press, 2005).
That's not to say that cultural norms keep people from exploring the taboo, but only what is admitted to openly, according to archaeologist Timothy Taylor of Great Britain's University of Bradford.
"The idea that there is a sexual line that must not be crossed but in practice often is, is far older than the story of Eve's temptation by the serpent," he writes in "The History of Sex: Four Million Years of Human Sexual Culture" (Bantam Books, 1996).
Modern advances
Religion especially has held powerful sway over the mind's attitude towards the body's carnal desires, most sexual psychologists agree. Men and women who lived during the pious Middle Ages were certainly affected by the fear of sin, Shorter said, though he notes there were other inhibiting factors to consider, too.
"The low priority attached to sexual pleasure by people who lived in distant times is inexplicable unless one considers the hindrances that existed in those days," Shorter writes. He points especially to the 1,000 years of misery and disease—often accompanied by some very un-sexy smells and itching—that led up to the Industrial Revolution. "After the mid-nineteenth century, these hindrances start to be removed, and the great surge towards pleasure begins."
Many historians and psychologists see the late 1800s as a kind of watershed period for sexuality in the Western world. With the industrial revolution pushing more and more people together—literally—in dense, culturally-mixed neighborhoods, attitudes towards sex became more liberal.
The liberalization of sexuality kicked into high gear by the 1960s with the advent of the birth control pill, letting women get in on the fun and act on the basis of desire as men always had, according to Shorter.
"The 1960s vastly accelerated this unhesitant willingness to grab sex for the sheer sake of physical pleasure," he said, noting that the trend of openly seeking out sex just because it feels good, rather than for procreation alone, has continued on unabated into the new millennium.
Global variations
But despite the modern tendency towards sexual freedom, even today there are vast differences in attitudes across the world, experts say.
"Cultures vary tremendously in how early they start having sex, how open they are about it, and how many sexual partners they have," said Buss, noting that Swedes generally have many partners in their lifetime and the Chinese typically have few.
An informal 2005 global sex survey sponsored by the condom company Durex confirmed Buss' views. Just 3 percent of Americans polled called their sex lives "monotonous," compared to a sizable 26 percent of Indian respondents. While 53 percent of Norwegians wanted more sex than they were having (a respectable 98 times per year, on average), 81 percent of the Portuguese were quite happy with their national quota of 108 times per year.
Though poll numbers and surveys offer an interesting window into the sex lives of strangers, they're still constrained by the unwillingness of people to open up about a part of their lives that's usually kept behind closed doors.
And what if we weren't bound by such social limitations? Taylor offers the promiscuous—and very laid-back—bonobo chimpanzee as a utopian example.
"Bonobos have sex most of the time ... a fairly quick, perfunctory, and relaxed activity that functions as a social cement," he writes. "But for cultural constraints, we would all behave more like bonobos. In physical terms, there is actually nothing that bonobos do that some humans do not sometimes do."
What Do You Know?
But just how much has the act really changed through the millennia and even in past decades? Are humans doing it more? Are we doing it better? Sort of, say scientists. But it's how people fess up to the truth about their sex lives that has changed the most over the years.
Humans have basically been the same anatomically for about 100,000 years—so what is safe to say is that if we enjoy it now, then so did our cave-dwelling ancestors and everyone else since, experts say.
"Just as our bodies tell us what we might like to eat, or when we should go to sleep, they lay down for us our pattern of lust," says University of Toronto psychologist Edward Shorter. "Sex has always offered pleasure."
Hard wired
Sexuality has a lot to do with our biological framework, agreed Joann Rodgers, director of media relations and lecturer at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
"People and indeed all animals are hard wired to seek out sex and to continue to do so," Rodgers said in a recent interview. "I imagine that is evidence that people at least like sex and even if they don't they engage in it as a biological imperative."
It is nearly impossible to tell, however, whether people enjoyed sex more 50 years ago or 50,000 years ago, said David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas and author of "The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating" (Basic Books, 2003).
There is "no reason to think that we do more now than in the past, although we are certainly more frank about it," Buss told LiveScience.
Indeed, cultural restraints—rather than anything anatomical—have had the biggest effect on our sexual history, Shorter says.
"To be sure, what people actually experience is always a mixture of biological and social conditioning: Desire surges from the body, the mind interprets what society will accept and what not, and the rest of the signals are edited out by culture," he writes in his book, "Written in the Flesh: A History of Desire" (University of Toronto Press, 2005).
That's not to say that cultural norms keep people from exploring the taboo, but only what is admitted to openly, according to archaeologist Timothy Taylor of Great Britain's University of Bradford.
"The idea that there is a sexual line that must not be crossed but in practice often is, is far older than the story of Eve's temptation by the serpent," he writes in "The History of Sex: Four Million Years of Human Sexual Culture" (Bantam Books, 1996).
Modern advances
Religion especially has held powerful sway over the mind's attitude towards the body's carnal desires, most sexual psychologists agree. Men and women who lived during the pious Middle Ages were certainly affected by the fear of sin, Shorter said, though he notes there were other inhibiting factors to consider, too.
"The low priority attached to sexual pleasure by people who lived in distant times is inexplicable unless one considers the hindrances that existed in those days," Shorter writes. He points especially to the 1,000 years of misery and disease—often accompanied by some very un-sexy smells and itching—that led up to the Industrial Revolution. "After the mid-nineteenth century, these hindrances start to be removed, and the great surge towards pleasure begins."
Many historians and psychologists see the late 1800s as a kind of watershed period for sexuality in the Western world. With the industrial revolution pushing more and more people together—literally—in dense, culturally-mixed neighborhoods, attitudes towards sex became more liberal.
The liberalization of sexuality kicked into high gear by the 1960s with the advent of the birth control pill, letting women get in on the fun and act on the basis of desire as men always had, according to Shorter.
"The 1960s vastly accelerated this unhesitant willingness to grab sex for the sheer sake of physical pleasure," he said, noting that the trend of openly seeking out sex just because it feels good, rather than for procreation alone, has continued on unabated into the new millennium.
Global variations
But despite the modern tendency towards sexual freedom, even today there are vast differences in attitudes across the world, experts say.
"Cultures vary tremendously in how early they start having sex, how open they are about it, and how many sexual partners they have," said Buss, noting that Swedes generally have many partners in their lifetime and the Chinese typically have few.
An informal 2005 global sex survey sponsored by the condom company Durex confirmed Buss' views. Just 3 percent of Americans polled called their sex lives "monotonous," compared to a sizable 26 percent of Indian respondents. While 53 percent of Norwegians wanted more sex than they were having (a respectable 98 times per year, on average), 81 percent of the Portuguese were quite happy with their national quota of 108 times per year.
Though poll numbers and surveys offer an interesting window into the sex lives of strangers, they're still constrained by the unwillingness of people to open up about a part of their lives that's usually kept behind closed doors.
And what if we weren't bound by such social limitations? Taylor offers the promiscuous—and very laid-back—bonobo chimpanzee as a utopian example.
"Bonobos have sex most of the time ... a fairly quick, perfunctory, and relaxed activity that functions as a social cement," he writes. "But for cultural constraints, we would all behave more like bonobos. In physical terms, there is actually nothing that bonobos do that some humans do not sometimes do."
What Do You Know?
THE BEAUTY OF EVA LONGORIA
Eva Jacqueline Longoria (born March 15, 1975) is a Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Gabrielle Solis in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. She has also become an internationally recognized model after appearing in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines. Longoria announced her engagement to French NBA guard Tony Parker on November 30, 2006.
Contents
Early life
Longoria[1] was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Mexican-American Catholic parents, Enrique Longoria Jr. (born in Rachal, Brooks County, Texas) and Ella Eva Mireles (married in Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas). She has three older sisters: Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette, and Esmeralda. She attended Roy Miller High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A&M University-Kingsville. During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in 1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. With many family members still living in Corpus Christi, she still returns to her home town for visits.
Career
Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest-starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003. People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dragnet. Although it lasted only two seasons, the show gave Longoria another leading star credit to her name. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions - Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film, and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.
In 2004, Longoria landed a role that elevated her to the A-List. She starred as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As the show became an overnight sensation, Longoria's career was well and truly launched. But she has never considered her career to have jumped off so suddenly, "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years."[2]
Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer. In 2005, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars. Even though neither Longoria nor any of the rest of the cast won, she was awarded the prestigious ALMA AWARD and named entertainer of the year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which was her first major role in a theatrical movie (both Douglas and Sutherland noted that much to their surprise Eva whipped both of them in gun practice). Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful and was listed #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. In her most recently released film, Harsh Times, she plays the character Sylvia and co-stars with actors Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale.
In her interview with Ryan Seacrest on The Interview with Ryan Seacrest on E!, she stated: "I don't want to be on 7th Heaven -- on for 20 years and no one's really watching, and it's hanging on by a thread." She has also stated multiple times that she will not renew her Desperate Housewives contract once it is up. Instead, she has set her sights on the film industry.[3] At the time of her statements, the length of her contract was not known, but she has since revealed it to be 10 years, starting from the first season.[4]
In 2006, Longoria appeared in Jessica Simpson's music video "A Public Affair" along with Christina Milian, Christina Applegate, Ryan Seacrest, Maria Menounos, and Andy Dick.
Longoria was on the cover of the September 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine. She sat down with Maxim and discussed how contrary to belief, her life really is normal. "Tony [Parker] and I spend most of our time in San Antonio. We have such a normal life there. I mean, we hang out and have breakfast, go to his parents', go to my parents'. Do laundry."
Longoria recently won a People's Choice Award for Best TV Actress.[5]
In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport. She will appear in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. The actress also holds model contracts with L’Oreal and Hanes, New York & Co.[6]
Longoria also hosted the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards on June 5, 2007, on ABC.
In 2007, the ladies of Desperate Housewives each renewed their contracts with ABC for four years, worth $40 million.
[edit] Personal life
Longoria was married to General Hospital star Tyler Christopher from January 20, 2002, to January 19, 2004, and as such, was also credited as Eva Longoria Christopher. She has been romantically linked to successful writer Milan Gracanin, ex-*NSYNC member JC Chasez, actor Mousir Syed and Life As We Know It star Sean Faris (although both Faris and Longoria deny any romantic link). Although some have reported her height as 5'2", she is in fact 5'1".[7]
In 2005, Longoria stated that she wished she had had lesbian sexual experiences with women, which caused some to debate whether she may be gay or bisexual.[1]
Like many South Texans, Longoria is an avid San Antonio Spurs fan and is a courtside regular at Spurs games. On November 30, 2006, she became engaged to Spurs point guard Tony Parker. The two called in to the Ryan Seacrest radio show to announce it. She said the way he proposed was "perfect, personal, and sweet." After playing against the Utah Jazz, Parker flew out to Los Angeles, which was unexpected because she never thought he would come there after the game. She got off work at about midnight and found Parker waiting for her. The couple plan to wed on July 7, 2007 in Paris.[8]
On June 14, 2007, the Spurs won the 2007 NBA Finals in Cleveland, Ohio against the Cavaliers, and Parker was honored as the Finals MVP for the series. Longoria was shown wiping tears as Parker was awarded the trophy. [9]
Contents
Early life
Longoria[1] was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Mexican-American Catholic parents, Enrique Longoria Jr. (born in Rachal, Brooks County, Texas) and Ella Eva Mireles (married in Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas). She has three older sisters: Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette, and Esmeralda. She attended Roy Miller High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A&M University-Kingsville. During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in 1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. With many family members still living in Corpus Christi, she still returns to her home town for visits.
Career
Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest-starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003. People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dragnet. Although it lasted only two seasons, the show gave Longoria another leading star credit to her name. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions - Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film, and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.
In 2004, Longoria landed a role that elevated her to the A-List. She starred as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As the show became an overnight sensation, Longoria's career was well and truly launched. But she has never considered her career to have jumped off so suddenly, "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years."[2]
Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer. In 2005, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars. Even though neither Longoria nor any of the rest of the cast won, she was awarded the prestigious ALMA AWARD and named entertainer of the year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which was her first major role in a theatrical movie (both Douglas and Sutherland noted that much to their surprise Eva whipped both of them in gun practice). Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful and was listed #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. In her most recently released film, Harsh Times, she plays the character Sylvia and co-stars with actors Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale.
In her interview with Ryan Seacrest on The Interview with Ryan Seacrest on E!, she stated: "I don't want to be on 7th Heaven -- on for 20 years and no one's really watching, and it's hanging on by a thread." She has also stated multiple times that she will not renew her Desperate Housewives contract once it is up. Instead, she has set her sights on the film industry.[3] At the time of her statements, the length of her contract was not known, but she has since revealed it to be 10 years, starting from the first season.[4]
In 2006, Longoria appeared in Jessica Simpson's music video "A Public Affair" along with Christina Milian, Christina Applegate, Ryan Seacrest, Maria Menounos, and Andy Dick.
Longoria was on the cover of the September 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine. She sat down with Maxim and discussed how contrary to belief, her life really is normal. "Tony [Parker] and I spend most of our time in San Antonio. We have such a normal life there. I mean, we hang out and have breakfast, go to his parents', go to my parents'. Do laundry."
Longoria recently won a People's Choice Award for Best TV Actress.[5]
In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport. She will appear in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. The actress also holds model contracts with L’Oreal and Hanes, New York & Co.[6]
Longoria also hosted the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards on June 5, 2007, on ABC.
In 2007, the ladies of Desperate Housewives each renewed their contracts with ABC for four years, worth $40 million.
[edit] Personal life
Longoria was married to General Hospital star Tyler Christopher from January 20, 2002, to January 19, 2004, and as such, was also credited as Eva Longoria Christopher. She has been romantically linked to successful writer Milan Gracanin, ex-*NSYNC member JC Chasez, actor Mousir Syed and Life As We Know It star Sean Faris (although both Faris and Longoria deny any romantic link). Although some have reported her height as 5'2", she is in fact 5'1".[7]
In 2005, Longoria stated that she wished she had had lesbian sexual experiences with women, which caused some to debate whether she may be gay or bisexual.[1]
Like many South Texans, Longoria is an avid San Antonio Spurs fan and is a courtside regular at Spurs games. On November 30, 2006, she became engaged to Spurs point guard Tony Parker. The two called in to the Ryan Seacrest radio show to announce it. She said the way he proposed was "perfect, personal, and sweet." After playing against the Utah Jazz, Parker flew out to Los Angeles, which was unexpected because she never thought he would come there after the game. She got off work at about midnight and found Parker waiting for her. The couple plan to wed on July 7, 2007 in Paris.[8]
On June 14, 2007, the Spurs won the 2007 NBA Finals in Cleveland, Ohio against the Cavaliers, and Parker was honored as the Finals MVP for the series. Longoria was shown wiping tears as Parker was awarded the trophy. [9]
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
TRIBECA FESTIVAL
Tribeca Film Festival
TFF 101
Whether you’re a seasoned pro, familiar not only with the streets of New York but film savvy and in-the-know, or a first-timer to both, entering into the world of the Tribeca Film Festival may be a little overwhelming. Like the first day of school: Where do I go? How do I get there? What’s cool? Who’s hip? What am I missing? These are all valid questions. Let us help you.
There Is So Much to Choose From—How Do I Know What to See and Do?
Start here. Peruse this site to get an idea of what’s best for you? Take your time and read about the films. What pulls you in? What intrigues you? Then we’ll help you build your own mini-Festival by suggesting films based on what you choose. We’ll also tease you with other films and events you may be surprised by. We’ll do our best to cater to your needs if you need help and suggestions—like which movie or concert to see or which coffee shop or restaurant to visit for your post-film debrief. If you need a schedule before you go, relax, this website has everything you need—full program notes for all movies and panels, movie trailers, short films and updates 24/7. We will NOT leave you stranded with nothing but a bag of popcorn to prove you were here.
I Don't Want to Miss Anything. How Do I Buy Tickets?
For all ticketing information, including hours-of-operation, rules and regulations, pricing and package specifics, go to the Ticket Information page.
There's All This Buzz. . . What Is Going On Besides Movies?
Don’t let the name fool you—the Tribeca Film Festival is much more than just movies. With the TribecaESPN Sports Saturday, Tribeca Family Festival, presented by American Express, the Tribeca Talks panel series, music events, special presentations for working and aspiring filmmakers, you could be quite entertained without entering a theatre. . . not that we recommend that approach!
So, That's It? Is That All There Is?
No, no, no. We have this little rule called “by press time,” so for the latest info, keep checking www.tribecafilmfestival.org for updates, last-minute additions, daily wrap-ups, gossip and more.
If I'm Coming From Out of Town. Can You Help Me Get to New York City and Give Me Advice About Where to Stay?
Absolutely. We have several partners ready and willing to help you make the most of your experience—including Delta Airlines, our official airline, and several local hotels. Keep checking our Travel Partners Page for more information.
I'm Not Familiar With the City. How Do I Get Around? Where Do I Park? Where Are The Venues?
Breathe. These are important questions and all answerable. Our 2007 map (coming soon) will provide complete information about all festival venues, subway stops, American Express-sponsored Information Centers, and other points of interest you never even knew you needed!
OK, I'm Coming. What Should I Bring?
Well, before you do anything, make sure to pick up a free Festival Guide in the April 8 New York Times Sunday Edition. It's an indispensable quick reference you’ll roll up and carry with you everywhere you go to help navigate the Festival. Inside you’ll find helpful Festival information, planning tips and listings of all the films. With this invaluable tool, you’ll always be able to orient and re-orient both in and outside the theater.
Also, bring an umbrella, water-resistant jacket and/or layers, and comfortable walking shoes, as spring weather an change quickly in Manhattan. Bring a camera, too—there will be plenty of photo ops for you and your friends, and you never know who you’ll see.
What If I Have Questions During the Festival?
Just look for the important-looking folk wearing Festival badges; any Festival Staffer or one of our hundreds of volunteers can help answer your questions. You should also keep your eyes peeled for INFORMATION CENTERS, provided by American Express, where you can pick up maps, schedules, souvenirs, novelties. . . and free popcorn. You can find them throughout Tribeca and in front of all Festival venue theatres.
Sounds Great, But What Makes Tribeca Film Festival Screenings Different From Going to Any Other Movie?
Fair question. And here are some fair answers:
* The director, cast, and crew are often on hand for a Q &A.
* The over 200 films chosen from the nearly 4,500 submissions are from every corner of the globe and offer almost as many perspectives as New Yorkers have opinions.
* Almost every film is a North American, international, or even world premiere, so you could be among the first to see the next big hit.
Just Wondering. . . Are the Films Rated?
Many of our films have not yet been reviewed by the Motion Picture Association of America and therefore do not have an MPAA rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17). However, the film information provided in the Online Festival Guide and the printed Festival Guide will help you make informed choices. We've also organized the Tribeca Family Film Festival with the whole family in mind, so check back for the Family Festival lineup.
TFF 101
Whether you’re a seasoned pro, familiar not only with the streets of New York but film savvy and in-the-know, or a first-timer to both, entering into the world of the Tribeca Film Festival may be a little overwhelming. Like the first day of school: Where do I go? How do I get there? What’s cool? Who’s hip? What am I missing? These are all valid questions. Let us help you.
There Is So Much to Choose From—How Do I Know What to See and Do?
Start here. Peruse this site to get an idea of what’s best for you? Take your time and read about the films. What pulls you in? What intrigues you? Then we’ll help you build your own mini-Festival by suggesting films based on what you choose. We’ll also tease you with other films and events you may be surprised by. We’ll do our best to cater to your needs if you need help and suggestions—like which movie or concert to see or which coffee shop or restaurant to visit for your post-film debrief. If you need a schedule before you go, relax, this website has everything you need—full program notes for all movies and panels, movie trailers, short films and updates 24/7. We will NOT leave you stranded with nothing but a bag of popcorn to prove you were here.
I Don't Want to Miss Anything. How Do I Buy Tickets?
For all ticketing information, including hours-of-operation, rules and regulations, pricing and package specifics, go to the Ticket Information page.
There's All This Buzz. . . What Is Going On Besides Movies?
Don’t let the name fool you—the Tribeca Film Festival is much more than just movies. With the TribecaESPN Sports Saturday, Tribeca Family Festival, presented by American Express, the Tribeca Talks panel series, music events, special presentations for working and aspiring filmmakers, you could be quite entertained without entering a theatre. . . not that we recommend that approach!
So, That's It? Is That All There Is?
No, no, no. We have this little rule called “by press time,” so for the latest info, keep checking www.tribecafilmfestival.org for updates, last-minute additions, daily wrap-ups, gossip and more.
If I'm Coming From Out of Town. Can You Help Me Get to New York City and Give Me Advice About Where to Stay?
Absolutely. We have several partners ready and willing to help you make the most of your experience—including Delta Airlines, our official airline, and several local hotels. Keep checking our Travel Partners Page for more information.
I'm Not Familiar With the City. How Do I Get Around? Where Do I Park? Where Are The Venues?
Breathe. These are important questions and all answerable. Our 2007 map (coming soon) will provide complete information about all festival venues, subway stops, American Express-sponsored Information Centers, and other points of interest you never even knew you needed!
OK, I'm Coming. What Should I Bring?
Well, before you do anything, make sure to pick up a free Festival Guide in the April 8 New York Times Sunday Edition. It's an indispensable quick reference you’ll roll up and carry with you everywhere you go to help navigate the Festival. Inside you’ll find helpful Festival information, planning tips and listings of all the films. With this invaluable tool, you’ll always be able to orient and re-orient both in and outside the theater.
Also, bring an umbrella, water-resistant jacket and/or layers, and comfortable walking shoes, as spring weather an change quickly in Manhattan. Bring a camera, too—there will be plenty of photo ops for you and your friends, and you never know who you’ll see.
What If I Have Questions During the Festival?
Just look for the important-looking folk wearing Festival badges; any Festival Staffer or one of our hundreds of volunteers can help answer your questions. You should also keep your eyes peeled for INFORMATION CENTERS, provided by American Express, where you can pick up maps, schedules, souvenirs, novelties. . . and free popcorn. You can find them throughout Tribeca and in front of all Festival venue theatres.
Sounds Great, But What Makes Tribeca Film Festival Screenings Different From Going to Any Other Movie?
Fair question. And here are some fair answers:
* The director, cast, and crew are often on hand for a Q &A.
* The over 200 films chosen from the nearly 4,500 submissions are from every corner of the globe and offer almost as many perspectives as New Yorkers have opinions.
* Almost every film is a North American, international, or even world premiere, so you could be among the first to see the next big hit.
Just Wondering. . . Are the Films Rated?
Many of our films have not yet been reviewed by the Motion Picture Association of America and therefore do not have an MPAA rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17). However, the film information provided in the Online Festival Guide and the printed Festival Guide will help you make informed choices. We've also organized the Tribeca Family Film Festival with the whole family in mind, so check back for the Family Festival lineup.
NEW MISS UNIVERSE
Miss Japan crowned Miss Universe 2007
MEXICO CITY- A 20-year-old dancer from Japan was crowned Miss Universe 2007 on Monday night, marking only the second time her country has won the world beauty title.
Dressed in a black, red and purple Japanese-style gown, Riyo Mori nervously grabbed the hands of first runner-up, Natalia Guimaraes of Brazil, just before the winner was announced. Then she threw her hands up and covered her mouth, overcome with emotion.
But she gathered herself together enough to catch the diamond-and-pearl-studded headpiece valued at $250,000 as it slipped off her head when Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico crowned her. Mori immediately placed it back on her head.
The last time Japan won the pageant was in 1959 when Akiko Kojima became the first Miss Universe from Asia.
"She is an amazing champion, an amazing woman and I hear that they go totally insane in Japan, so that's good," said Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant with NBC.
Miss USA Rachel Smith, who slipped and fell to the floor during the evening gown competition and was jeered by the Mexican audience during the interview phase, was the contest's fourth runner-up.
Mori, from the small town of Shizuoka at the base of Mount Fuji, won the cheers of the Mexico City audience when she opened her interview, saying 'Hola, Mexico!'
Advertisement
"I learned how to always be happy, be patient and to be positive, and this is what I want to teach to the next generation," she said during the interview competition.
The daughter of a dance school operator, Mori said her grandmother told her as a child that she wanted her to be Miss Japan before she turned 20.
"From the very beginning, I entered the competition with high hopes and an unswerving determination to make this dream a reality," she said in a pre-competition interview.
Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006, left, looses control of the crown as she places it on winner Riyo Mori, Miss Japan 2007, at the Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageant in Mexico City, Monday, May 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
She wants to someday open an international dance school in Tokyo.
"Right now I am only 20 years old, so I'm really excited about what I'm going to be able to do at this age to benefit society," Mori said after winning.
Smith was booed during her interview and several audience members chanted "Mexico! Mexico!" until she spoke in Spanish, saying "Buenas noches Mexico. Muchas gracias!" which earned her applause. Mexico has a fierce rivalry with its northern neighbor.
Also finishing in the top five were second runner-up Ly Jonaitis of Venezuela and third runner-up Honey Lee of Korea.
The winner travels the world for a year on behalf of charities and pageant sponsors.
The 15 finalists from a field of 77
Riyo Mori, Miss Japan 2007, right, reacts as she is announced the winner of the Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageant in Mexico City, Monday, May 28, 2007. First runner up, Natalia Guimaraes, Miss Brazil 2007, stands at left. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
contestants were announced early in Monday's show. They were picked last week during preliminary judging in the contest's swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories. Their names were not announced until Monday, allowing all 77 to be introduced to the television audience.
As soon as the final 15 had been selected, they immediately strutted across the stage in animal-print bikinis for the swimsuit competition. After the evening gown competition, five contestants were eliminated, and the judges chose the winner from the five remaining.
Missing from this year's contest was Miss Sweden, whose country is one of the few to win the crown three times. Isabel Lestapier Winqvist, 20, dropped out because many Swedes say the competition
Riyo Mori, Miss Japan 2007, reacts after winning the Miss Universe 2007 pageant in Mexico City, Monday, May 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
does not represent the modern woman.
Hours before the pageant began, dozens of protesters held a mock ceremony in downtown Mexico City that featured "Miss Marijuana," "Miss Sexual Health," "Miss Human Rights" and other candidates with obscenities written across their sashes. The group yelled "Neither ugly nor beautiful, should a woman be considered an object!"
Pageant organizers say the Miss Universe contest carefully selects women who are intelligent, well-mannered and cultured.
1999 Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minnillo and "Extra" weekend correspondent Mario Lopez hosted the live, two-hour telecast, broadcast on NBC and Telemundo, expected to be viewed by more than 600 million people in more than 180 countries.
The celebrity judges included actor James Kyson Lee, model Lindsay Clubine, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, rocker Dave Navarro, Olympic figure skating champion Michelle Kwan, celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves, fashion designer Marc Bouwer, "Project Runway" judge and Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.
The pageant was last held in Mexico City in 1993, when Torres was crowned.
MEXICO CITY- A 20-year-old dancer from Japan was crowned Miss Universe 2007 on Monday night, marking only the second time her country has won the world beauty title.
Dressed in a black, red and purple Japanese-style gown, Riyo Mori nervously grabbed the hands of first runner-up, Natalia Guimaraes of Brazil, just before the winner was announced. Then she threw her hands up and covered her mouth, overcome with emotion.
But she gathered herself together enough to catch the diamond-and-pearl-studded headpiece valued at $250,000 as it slipped off her head when Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico crowned her. Mori immediately placed it back on her head.
The last time Japan won the pageant was in 1959 when Akiko Kojima became the first Miss Universe from Asia.
"She is an amazing champion, an amazing woman and I hear that they go totally insane in Japan, so that's good," said Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant with NBC.
Miss USA Rachel Smith, who slipped and fell to the floor during the evening gown competition and was jeered by the Mexican audience during the interview phase, was the contest's fourth runner-up.
Mori, from the small town of Shizuoka at the base of Mount Fuji, won the cheers of the Mexico City audience when she opened her interview, saying 'Hola, Mexico!'
Advertisement
"I learned how to always be happy, be patient and to be positive, and this is what I want to teach to the next generation," she said during the interview competition.
The daughter of a dance school operator, Mori said her grandmother told her as a child that she wanted her to be Miss Japan before she turned 20.
"From the very beginning, I entered the competition with high hopes and an unswerving determination to make this dream a reality," she said in a pre-competition interview.
Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006, left, looses control of the crown as she places it on winner Riyo Mori, Miss Japan 2007, at the Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageant in Mexico City, Monday, May 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
She wants to someday open an international dance school in Tokyo.
"Right now I am only 20 years old, so I'm really excited about what I'm going to be able to do at this age to benefit society," Mori said after winning.
Smith was booed during her interview and several audience members chanted "Mexico! Mexico!" until she spoke in Spanish, saying "Buenas noches Mexico. Muchas gracias!" which earned her applause. Mexico has a fierce rivalry with its northern neighbor.
Also finishing in the top five were second runner-up Ly Jonaitis of Venezuela and third runner-up Honey Lee of Korea.
The winner travels the world for a year on behalf of charities and pageant sponsors.
The 15 finalists from a field of 77
Riyo Mori, Miss Japan 2007, right, reacts as she is announced the winner of the Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageant in Mexico City, Monday, May 28, 2007. First runner up, Natalia Guimaraes, Miss Brazil 2007, stands at left. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
contestants were announced early in Monday's show. They were picked last week during preliminary judging in the contest's swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories. Their names were not announced until Monday, allowing all 77 to be introduced to the television audience.
As soon as the final 15 had been selected, they immediately strutted across the stage in animal-print bikinis for the swimsuit competition. After the evening gown competition, five contestants were eliminated, and the judges chose the winner from the five remaining.
Missing from this year's contest was Miss Sweden, whose country is one of the few to win the crown three times. Isabel Lestapier Winqvist, 20, dropped out because many Swedes say the competition
Riyo Mori, Miss Japan 2007, reacts after winning the Miss Universe 2007 pageant in Mexico City, Monday, May 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
does not represent the modern woman.
Hours before the pageant began, dozens of protesters held a mock ceremony in downtown Mexico City that featured "Miss Marijuana," "Miss Sexual Health," "Miss Human Rights" and other candidates with obscenities written across their sashes. The group yelled "Neither ugly nor beautiful, should a woman be considered an object!"
Pageant organizers say the Miss Universe contest carefully selects women who are intelligent, well-mannered and cultured.
1999 Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minnillo and "Extra" weekend correspondent Mario Lopez hosted the live, two-hour telecast, broadcast on NBC and Telemundo, expected to be viewed by more than 600 million people in more than 180 countries.
The celebrity judges included actor James Kyson Lee, model Lindsay Clubine, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, rocker Dave Navarro, Olympic figure skating champion Michelle Kwan, celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves, fashion designer Marc Bouwer, "Project Runway" judge and Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.
The pageant was last held in Mexico City in 1993, when Torres was crowned.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
THE FINALE FOR THE WORLD
American Idol Finale
American Idol judges by Michael Lavine/FoxSimon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul,
American Idol
What a wild trip Season 6 of American Idol has turned out to be. Antonella's scandalous pics. Simon and Ryan's barbed bickering. Sanjaya's hair. Yet in the end, a fierce final three — Melinda, Jordin and Blake — are poised to battle it out on TV's most-watched show. We shadowed this diverse and driven trio for a week as they rehearsed their songs, shopped for picture-perfect duds and posed for TV Guide's cover. Here's our behind-the-scenes peek at how they're dealing with Idol's unrelenting pace and pressure. Who's got what it takes to become — all together now — your American Idol?
Clothes Make the Diva
For most women, a shopping spree on somebody else's dime would make for a dream afternoon. But Melinda Doolittle isn't like most women. It's not just that the 29-year-old has had less than five hours of sleep and is relying on a highly caffeinated iced mocha to keep her eyes open on this Thursday morning. Retail therapy — even if you're being whisked to L.A.'s trendy Beverly Center in a snazzy black chauffeur-driven SUV — is anything but therapeutic for this Tennessee inhabitant. "I don't really enjoy shopping," says the petite powerhouse, who's clad in a red T-shirt and jeans today. "I'm a woman who'd rather be at home watching football."
But now that the backup singer has become a center-stage favorite, Melinda must look like a star. That's not always an easy task, given that the woman who her fellow Idols call "Mama" is as conservative in her clothing tastes as she is humble in front of the judges. But stylist Miles Siggins, who calls Melinda his "biggest makeover of the season," has managed to work minor miracles, getting her to "channel her inner Tina Turner" by wearing heels, sleeveless tops and even dresses that play up strengths and camouflage flaws. "I don't have the longest neck," Melinda says amiably. "People call me 'Shrek.'"
"But once you put on a dress and heels and you get out on that stage," Siggins says, "your attitude changes completely."
"Chanel comes out!" Melinda says, grinning.
Huh? "My alter ego's name is Chanel," she explains. "I love her. Chanel is sassy. I just wish she could stay through the [judges'] comments instead of leaving, ‘cause she would take them a lot better. She'd be like" — Melinda snaps her fingers and drips attitude — "I know!"
As Melinda enters the fashionable store Politix, it's obvious she's been here before. "I missed you last week!" she squeals, giving salesgirl Demetria a hug. She looks over the racks, but for the most part, she's happy to defer to the British Siggins. "If I'd have shown her this stuff eight weeks ago," he says, shoving her into a dressing room with several outfits, "she'd have said, 'I'm never going shopping with that man again!'" When she emerges wearing something she likes — such as a $552 black wing-sleeved top — Melinda claps like an excited young Idol fan. When she doesn't like it — say, a slinky green top that exposes her lower back — she grimaces and sinks into her shoulders.
As Melinda makes her way to another store, fellow shoppers do double takes. "I don't know whether to say 'Hey!' or just put my head down and keep walking," she says. Despite that famously meek, polite demeanor, don't think for a minute that Melinda isn't out to win Idol. As she climbs back into the SUV and heads to the studio, a flash of Chanel appears. "Everything I get into, I'm in it to win it!" she says saucily, before reverting back to her normal demeanor. "It's like a blessing that I get to stay and do it again every week. I'm so excited [winning's] even possible. I mean, gosh, who wouldn't love to win?"
For more on American Idol, pick up the new issue of TV Guide, on sale Thursday
American Idol judges by Michael Lavine/FoxSimon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul,
American Idol
What a wild trip Season 6 of American Idol has turned out to be. Antonella's scandalous pics. Simon and Ryan's barbed bickering. Sanjaya's hair. Yet in the end, a fierce final three — Melinda, Jordin and Blake — are poised to battle it out on TV's most-watched show. We shadowed this diverse and driven trio for a week as they rehearsed their songs, shopped for picture-perfect duds and posed for TV Guide's cover. Here's our behind-the-scenes peek at how they're dealing with Idol's unrelenting pace and pressure. Who's got what it takes to become — all together now — your American Idol?
Clothes Make the Diva
For most women, a shopping spree on somebody else's dime would make for a dream afternoon. But Melinda Doolittle isn't like most women. It's not just that the 29-year-old has had less than five hours of sleep and is relying on a highly caffeinated iced mocha to keep her eyes open on this Thursday morning. Retail therapy — even if you're being whisked to L.A.'s trendy Beverly Center in a snazzy black chauffeur-driven SUV — is anything but therapeutic for this Tennessee inhabitant. "I don't really enjoy shopping," says the petite powerhouse, who's clad in a red T-shirt and jeans today. "I'm a woman who'd rather be at home watching football."
But now that the backup singer has become a center-stage favorite, Melinda must look like a star. That's not always an easy task, given that the woman who her fellow Idols call "Mama" is as conservative in her clothing tastes as she is humble in front of the judges. But stylist Miles Siggins, who calls Melinda his "biggest makeover of the season," has managed to work minor miracles, getting her to "channel her inner Tina Turner" by wearing heels, sleeveless tops and even dresses that play up strengths and camouflage flaws. "I don't have the longest neck," Melinda says amiably. "People call me 'Shrek.'"
"But once you put on a dress and heels and you get out on that stage," Siggins says, "your attitude changes completely."
"Chanel comes out!" Melinda says, grinning.
Huh? "My alter ego's name is Chanel," she explains. "I love her. Chanel is sassy. I just wish she could stay through the [judges'] comments instead of leaving, ‘cause she would take them a lot better. She'd be like" — Melinda snaps her fingers and drips attitude — "I know!"
As Melinda enters the fashionable store Politix, it's obvious she's been here before. "I missed you last week!" she squeals, giving salesgirl Demetria a hug. She looks over the racks, but for the most part, she's happy to defer to the British Siggins. "If I'd have shown her this stuff eight weeks ago," he says, shoving her into a dressing room with several outfits, "she'd have said, 'I'm never going shopping with that man again!'" When she emerges wearing something she likes — such as a $552 black wing-sleeved top — Melinda claps like an excited young Idol fan. When she doesn't like it — say, a slinky green top that exposes her lower back — she grimaces and sinks into her shoulders.
As Melinda makes her way to another store, fellow shoppers do double takes. "I don't know whether to say 'Hey!' or just put my head down and keep walking," she says. Despite that famously meek, polite demeanor, don't think for a minute that Melinda isn't out to win Idol. As she climbs back into the SUV and heads to the studio, a flash of Chanel appears. "Everything I get into, I'm in it to win it!" she says saucily, before reverting back to her normal demeanor. "It's like a blessing that I get to stay and do it again every week. I'm so excited [winning's] even possible. I mean, gosh, who wouldn't love to win?"
For more on American Idol, pick up the new issue of TV Guide, on sale Thursday
Monday, May 21, 2007
WHO IS SHAKIRA?
Shakira Biography
After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists. When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly dance moves.
Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures; she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana. Shakira wrote her first song at age eight, began entering (and winning) talent competitions at age ten, and started learning the guitar at age 11; one story runs that around this age, she was kicked out of her school choir for singing too forcefully. In 1990, at age 13, Shakira moved to Bogotá in hopes of pursuing a modeling career, but wound up signing a record deal with Sony's Colombian division instead. Her 1991 debut album, Magia (Magic), was comprised of songs she'd written over the past five or six years, including some of her earliest efforts. Although it didn't break internationally, the record started to make a name for her in her home country. Dissatisfied with the pop inclinations of the follow-up, 1993's Peligro (Danger), Shakira changed direction for a time, joining the cast of the Colombian soap opera El Oasis in 1994.
When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music, and worked more rock & roll rhythms -- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which was initially released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit all over Latin America, as well as Spain. After that breakthrough, Pies Descalzos just kept spinning off singles: "Dónde Estás Corazón?," "Antología," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," "Se Quiere, Se Mata." The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S. as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).
Seeking to build on her success, Shakira signed Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's husband and a highly successful music-biz insider -- as her manager and producer. The move paid off when her follow-up album, 1998's Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), became an even bigger worldwide hit than its predecessor. What was more, it cracked the lucrative U.S. market wide open, spending 11 weeks at number one on Billboard's Latin album chart and producing two U.S. number ones (on the Latin chart) with "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Tu." The album's signature track, however, was the worldwide hit "Ojos Así," her most explicit nod yet to the Arabic music she'd picked up from her father (not to mention its latent belly dancing connotations). Dónde Están los Ladrones? was also the most effective presentation yet of Shakira's strong-willed persona; her self-analysis made her even more popular among female fans, while her anger over love gone wrong drew comparisons to Alanis Morissette.
When Gloria Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English, the prospect of a crossover suddenly seemed tangible, and Shakira decided that the most effective way to maintain control over her material was to learn English well enough to write in it herself. In the meantime, she set the stage for her crossover bid with a performance on MTV Unplugged, the channel's first Spanish-language broadcast. MTV Unplugged was released as an album in early 2000, and topped the Latin charts for two weeks on its way to becoming her third straight platinum album; it also won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of "Ojos Así" and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos Así") and Best Female Rock Vocal ("Octavo Dia").
Mainstream pop stardom beckoned. Shakira dyed her long brown hair blonde, romanced Antonio de la Rua (son of the former president of Argentina), and went to work on her first (mostly) English-language album, Laundry Service. The single/video "Whenever, Wherever" was released in advance of the album in late 2001, and made her a star in the English-speaking world almost overnight. Laundry Service entered the American pop charts at number three, and "Whenever, Wherever" climbed into the Top Ten of the singles chart, peaking at number six. The follow-up, "Underneath Your Clothes," also hit the Top Ten, halting at number nine; less than a year after its release, Laundry Service had gone triple platinum. Reviews of Laundry Service were divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery.
Extensive touring to support Laundry Service led to a long break for the singer, so a remix collection (2002's Laundry Service: Washed and Dried) and a live album (2004's Live & Off the Record) appeared in lieu of a new album. Revitalized, Shakira began the writing process for her next release and soon had 60 songs ready to go, some in English, some in Spanish. Twenty of the songs were selected and divided up by language to make two different albums. Both appeared in 2005 and both hit the Top Ten, with the Spanish-language album Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 leading the way in June with a number four placing and the English-language album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, following in November at number five. As sales of Oral Fixation began to slow in early 2006, Epic reissued the album in March with a bonus track, "Hip Don't Lie." The newly recorded song went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June, becoming one of the summer's biggest hits and reviving sales of Oral Fixation as well as Shakira's entire back catalog. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists. When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly dance moves.
Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures; she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana. Shakira wrote her first song at age eight, began entering (and winning) talent competitions at age ten, and started learning the guitar at age 11; one story runs that around this age, she was kicked out of her school choir for singing too forcefully. In 1990, at age 13, Shakira moved to Bogotá in hopes of pursuing a modeling career, but wound up signing a record deal with Sony's Colombian division instead. Her 1991 debut album, Magia (Magic), was comprised of songs she'd written over the past five or six years, including some of her earliest efforts. Although it didn't break internationally, the record started to make a name for her in her home country. Dissatisfied with the pop inclinations of the follow-up, 1993's Peligro (Danger), Shakira changed direction for a time, joining the cast of the Colombian soap opera El Oasis in 1994.
When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music, and worked more rock & roll rhythms -- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which was initially released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit all over Latin America, as well as Spain. After that breakthrough, Pies Descalzos just kept spinning off singles: "Dónde Estás Corazón?," "Antología," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," "Se Quiere, Se Mata." The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S. as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).
Seeking to build on her success, Shakira signed Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's husband and a highly successful music-biz insider -- as her manager and producer. The move paid off when her follow-up album, 1998's Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), became an even bigger worldwide hit than its predecessor. What was more, it cracked the lucrative U.S. market wide open, spending 11 weeks at number one on Billboard's Latin album chart and producing two U.S. number ones (on the Latin chart) with "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Tu." The album's signature track, however, was the worldwide hit "Ojos Así," her most explicit nod yet to the Arabic music she'd picked up from her father (not to mention its latent belly dancing connotations). Dónde Están los Ladrones? was also the most effective presentation yet of Shakira's strong-willed persona; her self-analysis made her even more popular among female fans, while her anger over love gone wrong drew comparisons to Alanis Morissette.
When Gloria Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English, the prospect of a crossover suddenly seemed tangible, and Shakira decided that the most effective way to maintain control over her material was to learn English well enough to write in it herself. In the meantime, she set the stage for her crossover bid with a performance on MTV Unplugged, the channel's first Spanish-language broadcast. MTV Unplugged was released as an album in early 2000, and topped the Latin charts for two weeks on its way to becoming her third straight platinum album; it also won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of "Ojos Así" and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos Así") and Best Female Rock Vocal ("Octavo Dia").
Mainstream pop stardom beckoned. Shakira dyed her long brown hair blonde, romanced Antonio de la Rua (son of the former president of Argentina), and went to work on her first (mostly) English-language album, Laundry Service. The single/video "Whenever, Wherever" was released in advance of the album in late 2001, and made her a star in the English-speaking world almost overnight. Laundry Service entered the American pop charts at number three, and "Whenever, Wherever" climbed into the Top Ten of the singles chart, peaking at number six. The follow-up, "Underneath Your Clothes," also hit the Top Ten, halting at number nine; less than a year after its release, Laundry Service had gone triple platinum. Reviews of Laundry Service were divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery.
Extensive touring to support Laundry Service led to a long break for the singer, so a remix collection (2002's Laundry Service: Washed and Dried) and a live album (2004's Live & Off the Record) appeared in lieu of a new album. Revitalized, Shakira began the writing process for her next release and soon had 60 songs ready to go, some in English, some in Spanish. Twenty of the songs were selected and divided up by language to make two different albums. Both appeared in 2005 and both hit the Top Ten, with the Spanish-language album Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 leading the way in June with a number four placing and the English-language album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, following in November at number five. As sales of Oral Fixation began to slow in early 2006, Epic reissued the album in March with a bonus track, "Hip Don't Lie." The newly recorded song went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June, becoming one of the summer's biggest hits and reviving sales of Oral Fixation as well as Shakira's entire back catalog. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
MEET HILLARY SCOTT
Hillary Scott (born February 3, 1983) is an American pornographic actress.
Biography
Hillary Scott has took the crown from queens of porno from Jenna Jamison and Sabana and started a unique affair with the American public. Originally from Naperville, Illinois, Scott grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She first became interested in pornography at age 11 when, after her mother put cable in her room, Scott would watch Cinemax late at night. During high school, she dated a fellow female student and didn't have sex with a man until age 18.[1] On "Inside the Porn Actor's Studio" that originally aired on February 5th, 2007, she admitted that she lost her virginity to a guy at age 18. Right before this fact, she admitted that her first sexual act was to her step-sister at age 11.
She worked for a time in a bank after graduating from high school, but became bored with it and resented having to wear formal attire and remove her body piercings. In a 2005 interview, she stated she has social anxiety disorder.[2]
Scott was married for six months after graduating from high school.
She moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to enter the adult film industry. Scott's first scene was for New Sensations, which paired her with Mark Ashley.[2] After acting in numerous gonzo films which featured her performances in anal sex scenes, she starred in the larger budgeted feature Darkside with Penny Flame in 2005. At the AVN Awards 2006, Scott won awards for "Best Oral Sex Scene - Film" and "Best Group Sex Scene - Film" for her role in Darkside. She also was awarded the XRCO Awards for "Best New Starlet" and "Orgasmic Oralist" on April 20, 2006. Scott often uses dirty talk in her scenes, and works without condoms in all her boy/girl scenes.
On May 15, 2006, she was the first ever guest on the Sirius Satellite Radio show Inside the Porn Actors Studio. Hosted by Howard Stern Show contributor Richard Christy, the hour-long program was Sirius channel Howard 101's spoof of the television series Inside the Actors Studio, with Christy filling the James Lipton role.
Scott replaced Jessica Sweet in the role of "Britney Rears" for the movie Britney Rears 3: Britney Gets Shafted. In this strange social phenomenon, she is emerging as a new icon building the culture of generations coming out of their shells.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
CLINTON'S NEW GIRLFRIEND
She once wanted to run Canada
After a three-year experiment as a Member of Parliament, she's returning to the company her father Frank Stronach built, Magna International, the world's third largest auto parts maker. Say what you want about her - "all butt, no brains" was one of the less flattering quips - the woman knows when to cut her losses.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT 10 YEARS AGO........?
Danny Boy and child support
What's the definition of irony?
On the last day of 1998, while 13-year-old Danny Williams was awaiting the results of a DNA test he and his prostitute mother believe will prove Bill Clinton is Danny's biological father, the president announced a sweeping new federal child-support crackdown designed to harness all the coercive power of Washington in squeezing America's deadbeat dads.
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| Danny Williams |
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, this is a story that has been kicking around for a long time. I first saw the photo of young Danny about six or seven years ago and was struck with the likeness to Clinton. But a face alone does not make for proof. Photos do lie. So do some down-and-out mothers. But, generally speaking, DNA tests don't.
That's why it will be very interesting to see what tabloid reporter Richard Gooding comes up with when Danny Williams' DNA is compared to the sample Clinton gave Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's investigators in the matter of the semen-stained dress.
Danny has reportedly been told his entire life that he is Clinton's son. His mother, Bobbie Ann, says she conceived her son during a paid sex act with Clinton. She reportedly passed a lie-detector test.
How was a story like this bottled up for all these years? Thank the Clinton attack machine. When political consultant Steve Denari, director of Ross Perot's Illinois campaign, informed George Stephanopolous that he was ready to go public with the story before the 1992 election, he was warned he would never work in Democratic Party politics again.
"It's completely bull----!" barked Stephanopolous. "If you went on the radio and said that Bill Clinton is the father of an illegitimate black child, you will be laughed at. People will think you're crazy. ... You will be embarrassed before the national press corps. People will think, nobody will believe you, and people will think you're scum."
Stephanopolous also broadly hinted that, if the story went away, there might be something in it for Denari. Hmmmm. Maybe some dinero for Denari? Blackmail, threats, extortion. The Clinton slime machine has proved time and time again that playing hardball still works in American politics.
But that was then and this is now.
If the DNA match is positive, will Clinton's defenders be able to spin their way out of this web? Thirteen years without paying child support is a long time. What will the ensuing scandal mean to Clinton's staunchest bases of support -- America's black community and U.S. women? And how will the president's newest child-support initiative play politically after this revelation?
In announcing the crackdown on deadbeat dads, the White House said: "Despite record child-support collections, there are still too many parents who flagrantly ignore their obligations to their children, and the president will propose to spend $46 million to identify, investigate and prosecute these deadbeat parents."
"Since taking office, President Clinton has made child-support enforcement a top priority, and those efforts are paying off for children across America," the statement continued.
Danny Williams will, no doubt, be grateful to hear that. But will it take a DNA test, once again, to get Clinton to admit his offense? Or, this time, with Clinton facing an impeachment trial, will he ever admit anything? Is anything ever enough with Clinton?
Well, talk about being hoist by one's own petard, in June Clinton signed into law the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act, creating two new categories of federal felonies for the most egregious child-support violators, a measure he had called for in his 1997 State of the Union address.
So, if it's more high crimes and misdemeanors the Senate is looking for, maybe Bill Clinton's mistreatment of Danny Williams and his mother, Bobbie Anne, for all these years will prove to be the last straw.
Under Clinton's new scheme, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will establish investigative teams in five regions of the country to identify and investigate cases for prosecution. The Justice Department promises aggressive prosecutions and convictions of this new felony class of crimes. No word on whether Janet Reno will name an independent counsel to look into the issues surrounding the First Son.
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