Sunday, August 30, 2009

Waters of Mars

Here is some brief information about the upcoming Doctor Who Special the Waters of Mars.

Although Doctor Who is the longest lasting Sci-Fi series still on the air, they are about to release yet another saga to the show. The “Waters of Mars” special is suppose to air on 14 November, 2009 and will still have David Tennant as the doctor. Also there will be Lindsay Duncan as Adelaide and Sharon Duncan- Brewster as The Rani. Although you can only see the trailer for the special on the official website if you are logging in from the UK, you can catch it on youtube.com if you live everywhere else in the world. David Tennant has been playing the tenth doctor since 2005 and has about 48 episodes under his belt. I am really curious to see who the next doctor who girl will be, because in my opinion there was none better than Rose Tyler. Well there is little information about the episode on-line right now, so all we can do is wait for the special to be air. I personal cannot wait and will tune in the minute it is announced.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Seven Wedding Tips

How to make the best day of your life even better.

Your wedding should be one of the happiest days of your life, so take some and consider all the options available. After spending a summer setting up and taking down what feels like hundreds of weddings, I have found out what works, what doesn’t, and what you and your guests will most enjoy.

1. Delegate- There is no shame in asking for help. Don’t try to do everything yourself, it will just lead to much unneeded stress on your big day.
2. Less is more- When planning the decorations for your wedding, don’t over do it. Your guests should be focused on you and your spouse, not what is around them.
3. Think outside the box- Personalize your wedding by doing something non-traditional. Instead of a wedding cake, try a dessert that will have your guests telling their friends how your wedding was unique.
4. Hire the right DJ- Your DJ will really set the mood of your reception. Take the time to really get to know the personalities of your potential DJ’s so your reception will be all that you hoped for.
5. Limit after wedding pictures- Your guests will be waiting to greet you and your spouse after the ceremony, so don’t make them wait any longer than they have to.
6. Throw out the guest book- Instead of having your guests sign a book, have them sign something that you will actually look at more than once in your life, like a picture frame or a keep sake box with all of your other wedding memorabilia.
7. Write your own vows- This will make the most traditional part of your wedding unique and leave your guests feeling the love between you and your spouse.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

World's Most Expensive Wedding Singers

The Rolling Stones charge £5 million (NZ$12m) to perform at weddings.

The ageing rockers – made up of frontman Sir Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Ronnie Wood - have been named the world's most expensive wedding act, ahead of Sir Elton John and Kylie Minogue who only demand £2 million to play at nuptials.

In 2002 the Sympathy for the Devil hitmakers - who refuse to perform private shows unless they are already on tour - charged the enormous sum to play a 90-minute set at a lavish party in the US. Labh Janjua

Candle in the Wind singer Elton scooped £1.5 million in 2001 after singing along to his piano for a private bash.

However, the pop icon donates all earnings from private concerts to his charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, rather than pocket the huge sums.

In the poll - commissioned to celebrate Living TV's Four Weddings series, which airs on Mondays in the UK - US songstress Christina Aguilera was named the fourth priciest performer at £1.5 million a show while British pop star George Michael bags £1.3 million for a private concert.

Troubled Rehab starlet Amy Winehouse, Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney, X Factor winner Leona Lewis and US star Jennifer Lopez can each demand £1 million for a post-nuptials performance.

The world's 12 most expensive wedding performers, according to Living TV:

1. The Rolling Stones - up to £5 million (NZ$12m)

2. Sir Elton John - up to £2 million (NZ$4.7m)

- Kylie Minogue - up to £2 million (NZ$4.7m)

4. Christina Aguilera - up to £1.5 million (NZ$3.6m)

5. George Michael - £1.3 million (NZ$3.1m)

6. Amy Winehouse - £1 million (NZ$2.5m)

- Sir Paul McCartney - £1 million (NZ$2.5m)

- Leona Lewis - £1 million (NZ$2.5m)

- Jennifer Lopez - £1 million (NZ$2.5m)

10. Barry Manilow - £750,000 (NZ$1.8m)

11. Rod Stewart - £600,000 (NZ$1.4m)

12. Duran Duran - £500,000 (NZ$1.2m)

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Armando Lannucci Presents In The Loop

Armando Iannucci takes his work to big screen with his political satire which revolves around the work of a Labour spin doctor.

The enthusiastic and likeable Armando Iannucci presents his first feature film in the shape of In The Loop: a sharp political satire based on the critically acclaimed but relatively hidden BBC4 series called ‘In The Thick Of It’. I have never seen the television series but with a prior knowledge of shows such ‘The New Statesman’ and ‘West Wing’ I knew what to expect and was thoroughly satisfied. A young and promising Labour cabinet minister makes a throwaway comment on the radio about the current ‘War on Terror’ being waged by united forces in the Middle East and finds himself caught up in the political agendas of some of the United States most powerful politicians and military personnel. His views lead to him, and his new assistant, being summoned to the United States for meetings with those interested to hear his side of things. Needless to say that things do not go smoothly, much to the delight of the audience.

One image of the shocking 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City. The wars which dominate pur front pages today are a direct result of this event. Labh Janjua

In The Loop is one of those good films about which not a lot can be said without giving away storylines and plot developments so I’ll leave it there. It was interesting to see Anna Chlumsky of ‘My Girl’ fame again and the political circus of the UK & the US is well observed. Look out also for the hard-to-miss Labour spin doctor apparently modelled on Alastair Campbell. A great start for Iannucci, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.


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Monday, August 24, 2009

The 11th Hour a call to action

A review of the film “The 11th Hour” and a call to action for renewed environmental responsibility.

As it opens with a barrage of violent images of natural disasters, human industry, explosions, and animals running to and fro, the documentary The 11th Hour starts off with a rather grim image of the way things are. Though the images that follow throughout the rest of the film often seem a bit disjointed from the talking heads that describe the state of the planet, the film ultimately communicates the interconnectedness of all things and mankind’s responsibility for our environment.

In many ways, The 11th Hour seems to be a remake of An Inconvenient Truth with Leonardo DiCaprio stepping into the shoes of Al Gore in order to reach the younger demographics. If that alone were the case, the strategy works brilliantly, for as the film points out, it is an exciting time to live because this generation is the one that gets to change the world, and the young minds are the ones that will carry it out. Of course, Leo brings his point home with a few fellows a bit more long in the tooth than he is, including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, and journalist Paul Hawken among other reputable minds.


Regarding age, one of the first points made in the film is that humankind is relatively young in relation to the rest of the planet. This puts the theme of the film in a sharper focus when we realize that life will continue on the earth regardless of what we do. The question is if the earth will be able to sustain human life for much longer. At the rate of population growth and pollution over the last few decades, the chances do not look good.

It is a much more humbling view of our role on the planet when we realize that the planet does not exist for us, but we are merely occupants of it. And though our predominant cultural mindset would have us believe that it is our economy and technological progress that matters most, the film points out the importance of realizing our actual place in the world and our connection with all things.

The film goes on to account for our use of fossil fuels and the many levels of detriment that it is doing to the ecology of the planet. Of course, the seemingly simple use of oil is bolstered by the deforestation, mass species extinction, the growing number of natural disasters, depletion of oceanic habitats, and, of course, the scourge of global warming. In actuality, the first hour of the film plays like a horror film.

However, the third act offers a glimmer of hope. At this point of the film, it seems like the entire cast changes from physicists and journalists describing the bleakness of our situation to architects and engineers who are addressing the problems. The truly encouraging aspect of the film is that the ideas they present are not merely concepts, but activities that are actually occurring. Through solar power, wind power, fungal research, geothermal heating, architectural integration, and other incredible steps forward, these ecological designers are developing new technologies based on the principles found in nature instead of our historical method of going against nature. As drastic as the first part of the film is, the end is truly inspiring.

As Mr. DiCaprio says, “Global warming is not only the number one environmental challenge we face today, but one of the most important issues facing all of humanity … We all have to do our part to raise awareness about global warming and the problems we as a people face in promoting a sustainable environmental future for our planet. ”

Though the film proposes some great solutions to the problems we face, they are all crammed into the last half hour. The inspiration found in the film to grasp a new social responsibility and rethink our technologies is only a stepping point. Fortunately, the concept alone has offered a path to follow at the end.

The DVD of the film offers a special feature that further addresses some of the steps toward a solution, but greater than that are the networking websites that have taken on the same name. The 11th Hour Project (http://www.11thhourproject.org/) connects organizations, businesses and individuals to one another, resources and information to create a sustainable world. We work to change public perceptions about climate crisis from hand wringing hopelessness to engaged, hands on problem solving. And The 11th Hour Action Group (http://11thhouraction.com/) was created, in connection with the film, to help individuals and communities take sustainable action on the local, regional and national levels. By providing a means for people to share their ideas and solutions within our framework of sustainability goals, we hope to encourage others to take similar steps.

While The 11th Hour did not make as much of a stir at the box office as An Inconvenient Truth, the films were in production at about the same time. The synchronicity in the messages should tell us something. This is a call that must be answered. Fortunately, the responses are creative, peaceful, inspiring, and joyous.

Labh Janjua