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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

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Hollywood star Richard Gere will visit one of the world’s most renowned and largest Buddhist temples, Borobudur, in Magelang, Central Java, on June 26, a Culture and Tourism Ministry official says.

Gere, who is also a human rights activist, was invited by the ministry to spend time at the temple, exploring and enjoying its beauty.

Apparently it took a year to bring Gere to Indonesia, Ministry of Culture and Tourism director general of marketing Sapta Nirwandar said as quoted by kompas.com.

“We did not pay him to come here. He came here as a personal guest of the ministry, not as a celebrity,” he added.

During his visit in Indonesia, Gere is scheduled to watch the sunrise at the temple and spend time with monks. He will also visit Yogyakarta and meet with Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.

“His presence will present a positive image for our country. We hope his visit will encourage other stars to visit the temple and other tourism cites nearby,” he said.

Sapta also hoped that Richard Gere’s visit would attract other visitors.

Richard Gere to visit Borobudur this month

A video purportedly showing a "UFO mothership" and a "fleet" of alien spacecraft has gone viral on YouTube on June 28, two days after it was uploaded.

UFO Mothership & Fleet Over London UK 24th June 2011 (credit alymc01) [HD] has as of 9:30GMT June 28 been viewed 710,431 times after being uploaded on June 26 and is ranked second on YouTube's "most watched today charts."

The video begins with shaky footage caused by what can be assumed to be the person behind the camera running down the street to where a group of people stand filming the sky on their mobiles. The camera then turns upwards, where three shining dots can be seen passing through the sky.

The circular dots then return several times before a similar larger shape appears, hovers for a short while then disappears at speed. In the background a man can be heard saying "There's a UFO up there."

The video was first uploaded June 24 by YouTube user alymc01, who despite being a member since 2007 appears to only have this video and a duplicate of it on his or her channel; the video that has gone viral is a re-post of that footage by user EllasVirgo.

The video has received some mainstream press coverage in addition to mentions on blogs specializing in UFOs. While no marketing company has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the footage, a number of similar videos have appeared on YouTube over the past few days, including
UFOs Over London Friday 2011 - UFO fleet over Tower Bridge London 6/24/2011 and UFO June 2011, leading some to question if the videos are part of a viral promotional campaign.

UFO Mothership & Fleet Over London: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AouX-nWvv4
UFOs Tower Bridge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQmut0XtD3s
UFO June 2011 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD7Ok9By6AM

UFOs seen in London skies: viral video spotlight

Animation of 2011 MD on Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:30 UTC. Credit: Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes and Giovanni Sostero at the Faulkes Telescope South

Today, Monday June 27 at about 17:00 UT, asteroid designated as 2011 MD will pass only 12,300 kilometers (7,600 miles) above the Earth’s surface. Here are some images and an animation of the asteroid’s close approach taken around 09:30UT taken by Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes and Giovanni Sostero at the Faulkes Telescope South through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien and a CCD. The trio of astronomers say that at the time these images were taken, the asteroid had a magnitude of about 14.5. At the moment of its close approach, 2011 MD will be bright as magnitude ~11.8.

The animation above shows the object’s movement in the sky. Each image was 20-second exposure.

See more below from Guido, Howes and Sostero.

Below is a single 20-second exposure also taken by the 2 meter telescope at Faulkes Telescope South, and just below that is another image using a RGB filter.

2011 MD on Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:30 UTC. Credit: Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes and Giovanni Sostero at the Faulkes Telescope South

2011 MD on Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:30 UTC with RBG filter. Credit: Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes and Giovanni Sostero at the Faulkes Telescope South.

Some early observers have suggested that 2011 MD — which is only 5-20 meters in diameter — could possibly be a piece of space junk, such as a rocket booster. However, additional observations and further calculations show that this asteroid could not have been close enough to Earth any time during the space age to have started off as a rocket booster.

Trajectory of 2011 MD from the general direction of the Sun. Credit: NASA

Thanks to Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes and Giovanni Sostero for sharing their image with Universe Today. See more of their work, as well as more information about asteroid 2011 MD at their Remanzacco Observatory website.

Close Approach: Images and Animations of Asteroid 2011 MD

A rock about 10 meters in size will fly past the Earth Monday at ~~13:30 UTC (09:30 Eastern US time)~~ 17:01 UTC (13:01 Eastern US time) [Note: the time of closest approach was updated this morning, June 27]. It’ll be a particularly close shave — passing just 12,400 km (7430 miles) from Earth’s surface; a bit less than the diameter of the Earth itself — but it’ll miss for sure.

[Update 2: Images and an animation of the asteroid are now up at the Remanzacco Observatory blog; thanks to NickAstronomer on Twitter for the tip!]

We’re in no danger from the asteroid, named 2011 MD, since there’s essentially zero chance it will hit us. Even if it did, it’s too small to impact the surface, and would instead break apart and burn up in the atmosphere. That would be exciting, and make quite a show, but that’s about it.

Here’s a diagram of the asteroid’s trajectory (note that the size of the Earth is not to scale!):

On this scale, the Earth is actually about half the size shown; it was enlarged on the diagram to make it clear. In this smaller diagram here the trajectory is shown from a different angle (edge-on to the Moon’s orbit) with the Earth to scale, and you can see better that 2011 MD will miss us.

You can really see in those diagrams just how much the Earth’s gravity bends the orbit. At this close an approach the Earth’s gravity is significant, and the path of the object will be significantly altered. Just how much it’s changed is difficult to know until observations are made after the event. However, I’ll note the asteroid will be on the daylit side of Earth after it passes, making observations a bit tricky. I expect radar observations will be made using radio telescopes, which don’t need darkness to work and can provide very accurate measurements of the orbital path.

Speaking of orbits, this one is interesting. 2011 MD’s orbit is quite similar to Earth’s around the Sun, taking 396 days to go around once. The orbit is more elliptical than Earth’s, with a semi-major axis of 1.056 AU.

What does that mean? Well, the major axis is the length of an ellipse across its longest dimension, and the semi-major axis is half that length (that may seem like a funny unit but it’s convenient to do the math). An AU is the average distance of the Earth to the Sun, and again is a convenient unit for astronomers to use. The Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse that is pretty close to being a perfect circle, and by definition the semi-major axis of our orbit is 1.0.

So 2011 MD’s orbit is a bit more oval and a bit bigger than ours, just barely crossing it. Asteroids like that are called Apollo asteroids, and there are quite a few in that category. As you can see in this diagram, the orbits are so similar it’s hard to distinguish them on the left — look to the right and you’ll see them separate (also shown are the orbits and positions of Mercury, Venus, and Mars for June 27).

It orbits the Sun in 1.085 years, so every 13 years or so (12 of its orbits) we pass it. Some encounters are closer than others, and this is most likely the closest we’ve come in a long time, and most likely will be for some time in the future as well (especially given how much the orbit of 2011 MD will change). In fact, this will be the fifth closest approach of an asteroid on record… and one of those on the list, 2008 TC3, actually impacted us, harmlessly breaking up high over Africa in 2008.

That may be the fate of 2011 MD someday as well… but not today. For now, we get a very good view of this tiny interloper as it zooms past. And it’ll get a good view of us: it’ll pass over the South Atlantic at closest approach, and the Earth will fill half its sky. What a view that would be! Astronomer Pasquale Tricaric put together some very cool animations showing the asteroid’s-eye-view, too.

And I do want to point out one more thing. Since the orbit is very Earth-like, the relative velocity of this rock to us is pretty small. Imagine two cars on a race track, one moving at 200 kph and the other at 210 kph. To someone standing by the track they both scream past at high speed, but to the slower car, the faster one overtakes it at 10 kph — not very fast at all.

The same is true here. Both Earth and 2011 MD orbit the Sun at about 30 km/sec, but the relative speed between the two is small — only about a kilometer/second (except right at closest approach, when the Earth’s gravity speeds it up). That means if we were to launch a rocket at it, it wouldn’t take very much fuel to "catch up" to it. That’s why rocks like these are so very interesting: exploring them is easier in many ways than even getting to the Moon! It’s too late for this particular asteroid this time around, of course… but there are plenty more out there, and their time will come.

And just to be clear once again, since I know some of my readers fret over these things: this rock will miss us for real and for sure.

Orbit diagram credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

RV-sized asteroid will buzz the Earth on Monday

There are no known immediate threats to Earth when it comes to an asteroid impact, but our planet seems to be receiving a number of flybys lately. In February of this year, the Earth recorded its closest near miss when asteroid 2011 CQ1 avoided an impact with the planet by only 3,405 miles. Now, another close shave today is expected to come within 7,500 miles, which will put the asteroid closer to the Earth than the Moon (32x closer in fact) and in the same area as some communications and television satellites. What is a bit scary about this latest asteroid is that it was only discovered late last week.

The asteroid has been designated 2011 MD and was discovered by a pair of robotic telescopes which are a part of MIT’s Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR). It’s still unclear, but 2011 MD is thought to be between 8 and 18 meters in diameter, or roughly as big as a large house.

LINEAR, funded by the United States Air Force and NASA, is applying technology originally used to track Earth orbiting satellites toward the goal of tracking and cataloging near-Earth asteroids. When a discovery is verified by LINEAR it is then sent on to the Minor Planet Center (MPC) which applies a designation to any new discovery. What is interesting about 2011 MD is that it may not be an asteroid at all. Astronomers are looking into the possibility that what we may believe is an asteroid is actually a discarded rocket booster from a previously launched planetary probe due to its Earth-like orbit.

Unfortunately, most people won’t be able to see 2011 MD when it passes by. The time of the event will be 1pm EST meaning daylight hours for most of the U.S. and Europe. South Africe and Antartica will be able to see it pass, while New Zealand and Australia should be able to see part of the approach.

2011 MD’s passing won’t mark the end of the excitement around near-Earth asteroids this year. An asteroid designated 2005 YU5 is 400-meters wide and expected to pass within the orbit of the Moon on November 8th. At least, that’s when the next known near-Earth asteroid is expected. There is always the possibility that LINEAR could detect another near-Earth asteroid before then and like 2011 MD we may not have a lot of lead time that it is coming.

Read more at Skymania and Sky & Telescope

Asteroid to pass Earth closer than the Moon today

Saturday, June 25, 2011

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court shot down a global warming lawsuit several states and environmental groups had brought against five of America's biggest utilities, responsible for about one-tenth of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. The case was aimed at getting the court to rule greenhouse gas emissions a public nuisance and order the defendants to reduce them. But the court said Congress had already authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to handle greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, concluding: "We see no room for a parallel track."

The new decision bolstered the court's 2007 decision, in which it ruled the EPA does have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases as well as traditional pollutants, like smog and particulate matter.

After the new decision, the door is still open for environmental nuisance suits in general, and potentially even for state-level nuisance suits on greenhouse gases, noted Yale law professor Douglas Kysar. And, he pointed out, if Congress strips the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases -- as some recent bills attempted to do -- then the nuisance suits on a federal level could return.

In the Spotlight

The new ruling "puts the spotlight squarely on EPA," said David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Recently, the agency has issued new rules on emissions from light-duty vehicles and is moving forward on similar rules for larger vehicles. It is also developing its regulations on power plant emissions, which were scheduled to be published in draft form in late July, but have now been pushed back two months in response to complaints from industry and state governments.

Meanwhile, a study by nonprofit group Media Matters found opponents of the EPA dominate TV discussion of the topic, appearing more than four times as often as those in favor of greenhouse regulation by the agency.

Some commentators said the ruling will stoke attempts to hamper the EPA. The Obama administration signaled it may veto any laws that attempt to block the EPA. When asked about attempts to hamstring the EPA, Obama's chief of staff Bill Daley said, "we're not going to allow any legislation that impedes the need to improve our health and safety."

Obama Gets Gored

In a long article in Rolling Stone, former Vice President Al Gore made pointed criticisms of the Obama administration's work on climate change. "His election was accompanied by intense hope that many things in need of change would change," Gore wrote. "Some things have, but others have not. Climate policy, unfortunately, is in the second category."

Obama's backers pointed out that many new programs are now coming into place. One is a "game-changing" $2.6-billion solar panel project announced this week that would install nearly as many panels as were installed in the whole country in 2010. The U.S. Department of Energy is backing more than $1 billion in loans for the project, and earlier this month announced it would also back $1.9 billion in loans for two solar power projects in California.

Meanwhile, private financing of renewable energy projects has picked up, with Google emerging as one of the biggest spenders. This year, the company has already invested 10 times as much in renewables and clean tech as it did in 2010, reaching a total of $780 million--including, this month alone, $102 million for a wind energy center and $280 million for a residential solar panel partnership.

Big Oil on the Big Screen

U.S. gasoline prices have dropped somewhat in the past couple of weeks, but the high prices are still a brake on the economy, said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and several members of Congress are targeting oil speculators to try to make prices lower and more stable.

Big Oil is also in the sights of the cartoon Cars 2. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, director John Lasseter said, "I kept going to big oil" as the villain in the soon-to-be-released film.

The Climate Post offers a rundown of the week in climate and energy news. It is produced each Thursday by Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

The Climate Post: Beleaguered EPA Must Take Charge of Greenhouse Gases, Supreme Court Rules

Natasha Richardson completed her flight from Canada to New York, and then apparently to Lenox Hill Hospital amid fresh reports the Tony-award-winning actress is.

Streetcar was last seen on Broadway in 2005 starring Natasha Richardson, Amy Ryan and John C, Reilly. Front Row Production's multi-racial production of A Streetcar Named Desire is a follow-up to their highly successful Broadway production of Cat on a

The role, a biggie for Brando, was last played on the Great White Way by John C. Reilly, opposite the late Natasha Richardson's Blanche DuBois. No announcement of Underwood's Blanche, or Stella, yet, but stay tuned.

Natasha Richardson completed her flight from Canada to New York, and then apparently to Lenox Hill Hospital amid fresh reports the Tony-award-winning actress is brain dead and family are saying goodbye.

'Chloe,' Liam Neeson movie from the Natasha Richardson tragedy, makes its debut

Posted on 25.06.2011 at 16:08 in DVDRiP, Movies by Yadro

Couple of hours after the PPV, here’s scene group TARGET with a DVDRip for the movie ‘Arthur‘, a movie starring Russell Brand. This release comes with AC3 audio and the size is 2CD. Enjoy!

(UPDATE) Group TWiZTED PROPER TARGET’s DVDRip release of this movie for this reason.
Arthur.PROPER.DVDRip.XviD-TWiZTED
NFO – NewTorrents Search – FiLESERVE – WUpload

Plot: Irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren) to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge–choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy, Naomi (Greta Gerwig), the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man, in this re-imagining of the classic romantic comedy “Arthur.”

Genre: Comedy
IMDB rating: 5.3/10
Directed by: Jason Winer
Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner

Release Name: Arthur.2011.DVDRip.XviD-TARGET
Size: 2 CD (1.39 GB)
Quality: 640×352, 1,380 kbps, AC3 384 kbps
Runtime: 110 mins

Links: iMDB – HOMEPAGE – Trailer – TinySubs
Sample: Video
NFO: Here
Torrent: NewTorrents

Download: FiLESERVE – FiLESONiC – WUpload
Check Update above for the PROPER version

Arthur PROPER DVDRip XviD-TWiZTED

If you thought the first Apollo 18 trailer gave away too much about what the American astronauts found on their secret moon mission, then this trailer is for you. It shows far less of what is going on, all while playing up the imminent moon doom for the NASA’s best and brightest. There’s no more historical setup, no more “This Footage Has Not Been Altered” messages, just a few shots of two astronauts who land on the moon, then find trouble. It’s very Paranormal Activity in its desire to keep you in the dark. And it’s probably for the best, as the less we know about this oft-delayed project, the better. See for yourself after the jump.

To the history books Apollo 17 was NASA’s last Apollo mission, but an undocumented and covert operation to the moon was made by Apollo 18, which revealed disturbing evidence of new life forms.

Apollo 18 is due in theaters September 2, 2011.

Second ‘Apollo 18′ Trailer Still Holding On to the Mystery

Gwyneth Paltrow has been a busy lady. Not only has she made surprise cameos for Glee's live show in New Jersey, the glamour goddess was honored at the Bent on Learning gala in NYC for her contributions to the yoga community—and she looked maarr-velous!

The Iron Man beauty sported a lovely black-and-gray Alexander Wang draped dress to the benefit (where she raised an extra $10,000 for the cause). Each drape of the fabric seemed to flatter her fit bod as if it were made specifically with her shape in mind. Perfection!

She paired the frock with black strappy peep-toe sandals and minimal accessories finished off her evening attire. Her sun-kissed skin was glowing full-force, while her golden locks lightened her look up for a nice summer glam. Blondie has proven she really can do it all and look magnificent in the process. Kudos, Gwynie!

Trace the A-Lister's long road to full fashion glory in Baby, I'm a Star!: Gwyneth Paltrow gallery!

Gwyneth Paltrow Draped to Perfection

Didier Messens, Redferns / Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Chris Martin was instrumental in securing Beyoncé for this weekend's Glastonbury, it has emerged. Apparently apprehensive after the storm of controversy surrounding her husband Jay-Z's 2008 Glastonbury performance, it fell to close friend Martin -- of fellow headliners Coldplay -- to persuade her that playing the festival was an opportunity not to be missed.

Festival organiser Emily Eavis told the Radio Times (via Digital Spy), "Chris is a bit wary of people knowing he's been so involved. I don't know why because it's actually cool. Chris is as loyal as they come - he'll do anything for Glastonbury. He's really an unlikely frontman. Most people are a bit more all-consumed with their own thing."

Luckily for Eavis, they managed to move quickly to secure the singer before her schedule became unworkable. Eavis explained, "We spoke to Beyonce before she planned her tour this year, so she managed to put Glastonbury in her schedule, then build a European tour around it."

For Eavis, securing Beyonce's services had been her goal since watching the star perform last year. She told the festival's official website, "I went to see her live last year and was blown away by the might of the show. She has such soul, an amazing voice with an incredible, all-female band. She knows how to deliver live, and she packs a big punch -- it's gonna explode!"

She continued, "She is, I believe, the first female solo artist to headline, so it's a big moment for us. What better way to see off the Festival till 2013?"

Beyoncé will bring this year's festival to a close when she headlines the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night, June 26.

Chris Martin Instrumental in Bringing Beyoncé to Glastonbury

Die hard Justin Bieber fans hold your tongues and Selena Gomez followers rejoice -- there could be a Bieber-Gomez collaboration in the works for the resident teen king and queen. Before taking the 'Good Morning America' summer concert series stage on Friday morning, Gomez told Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos that shared studio time with her new beau isn't out of the question.

"Whenever I do songs I kind of do them organically," Gomez said when asked about a potential collaboration with Bieber. "So if it happens it happens."

As far as we're concerned, there's nothing more organic than good old fashioned love so we have a feeling that Gomez and Bieber will be topping the charts together in no time. As for potential duet song titles, we've got a few suggestions: 'Death Threats and Love Letters,' 'One Less Malnourished Girl' or 'Like Siblings No More.'

You can thank us during your acceptance speech GoBiebs.

Source : http://www.popeater.com/2011/06/17/selena-gomez-justin-bieber-duet-collaboration/

Selena Gomez: Collaboration with Justin Bieber Could Happen

When it was announced that teen sensation Selena Gomez would be co-hosting the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Canada, the first question on everyone's lips was: Will Justin Bieber join her? After all, Gomez is his girlfriend, and to boot, it is his home country.

The dreams of many a teenage fan were realized when Bieber stepped out of the limo -- unannounced -- onto the red carpet. Even better, when Bieber sauntered on stage to accept the award for Best International Video of the Year (with fellow Canadian Drake), he came face to face with his girlfriend for the world to see -- on live TV.

When Bieber and Drake were on stage, they awkwardly shuffled positions so that Bieber could stand next to Gomez. Bieber and Gomez moved their heads to look like they were going in for a kiss, but then they half-smiled and shook hands instead. You could almost hear the collective sigh from the audience -- though we're not sure if they wanted to see them kiss or not.

Gomez also shook off the endless illness rumors when she breathlessly performed her hit single 'Who Says' with her band The Scene. Looking very grown-up in a mini dress, Gomez shed her youthful image in exchange for an adult style.

MuchMusic Video Awards 2011

WireImage

93 photos

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 19: Nina Dobrev poses in the press room at the 22nd Annual MuchMusic Video Awards at the MuchMusic HQ on June 19, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)

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MuchMusic Video Awards 2011

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 19: Nina Dobrev poses in the press room at the 22nd Annual MuchMusic Video Awards at the MuchMusic HQ on June 19, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)

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Completing the triad of teenage bliss was a knockout performance by Lady Gaga of her latest single, 'The Edge of Glory.' With the stage decked out to look like the side of a New York City building, Gaga swung and danced on the fake fire escapes in a sexy studded leather outfit and green wig. She also closed out the show with a performance of 'Born This Way,' after being "born" out of a fake plastic cocoon. (She also featured matching blue hair and armpit hair.)

Source : http://www.popeater.com/2011/06/19/2011-muchmusic-video-awards-justin-bieber-selena-gomez-lady-gaga/

2011 MuchMusic Video Awards: Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga

Birth Date March 28, 1986
Birthplace New York, New York
Height 5’1”
Relationship Status Spotted recently with ex Luc Carl
Where You've Seen Her Her debut album, The Fame, blasted onto the scene in the summer of 2008 spawning megahits like “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.” She’s since cemented herself as a permanent fixture on the pop scene thanks to more hit singles and her wild, can’t-stop-staring-at-her style.
Defining Quote “When you make music or write or create, it's really your job to have mind-blowing, irresponsible, condomless sex with whatever idea it is you're writing about at the time.”

It didn’t take long for Lady Gaga to cement her place among the ranks of pop star royalty thanks to her catchy brand of danceable music and unique style. Almost as soon as she hit the scene in 2008, she was drawing comparisons to the King and Queen of pop, Michael Jackson and Madonna -- definitely no small feat.

But all this comes as no surprise to anyone who grew up with her -- least of all herself -- who knew from the start that she was destined for stardom.

MOLDING A NEW AGE POP STAR

Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in New York City, the daughter of Italian American parents Joseph Germanotta, an Internet entrepreneur, and Cynthia Bissett, a telecom assistant. Music was part of her life from the very beginning, and she dropped out of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts her sophomore year to carve out a place for herself in the pop world. She started off as a fixture in the Lower East Side burlesque and drag scene, where she experimented with drugs and her image. But the hard-partying lifestyle was short lived. As soon as her career began to take shape, she kicked her habit to the curb to focus all her attention on taking over the airwaves with her music -- a mission she promptly accomplished.

The origin of her alter ego, Lady Gaga, is a topic of dispute. Her former producer and boyfriend, Rob Fusari, claims credit, saying it was born when an auto-corrected text message he sent her reading “Radio GaGa” (referring to the Queen track) was changed to “Lady Gaga.” A former collaborator claims it simply came about during a marketing meeting. Either way, she took the new image and mutated it into the half-naked, bubble dress-wearing, blood-soaked spectacle she is now.

THE BEST POKER FACE IN TOWN

Her breakthrough came in 2008, thanks, in some part, to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who endorsed her on his website and first drew the comparison to Madonna. The publicity brought with it a huge gay fanbase, whose support she credits with her success. She landed a deal with Interscope and her successful stint as a songwriter for other artists culminated in the release of her own album, The Fame, which received rave reviews, topped the charts in several countries and produced three hit singles -- 'Just Dance,' 'Poker Face' and 'Paparazzi.' It also won her a slew of awards, including two Grammys for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording ('Poker Face'), an MTV VMA for Best New Artist and two People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Pop Artist and Favorite Breakout Artist.

She released her second album, The Fame Monster, in 2009, which spawned three more hits to add to her growing collection. 'Bad Romance,' 'Telephone' and 'Alejandro' became permanent fixtures on every radio station and came with outrageous and controversial music videos to match. And although we weren't sure it was possible, Gaga broke the boundaries ten fold with the release of her 2011 single, 'Born This Way.'

RUMORS FLY

Whether you love her or hate her, it’s impossible to deny that you can’t look away. Her videos have over one billion Internet views, she has made headlines for every rumor imaginable, including being bisexual (true), a hermaphrodite (false) and (gasp!) celibate. She is an outspoken proponent for gay rights, and was chosen as one of Barbara Walters’s 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010.

And something tells us this is only the beginning.

Lady Gaga'S BIOGRAPHY

'Weird Al' Yankovic has once again outdone himself. After a controversial tug o' war with Lady Gaga, the comedian was allowed to record 'Perform This Way,' a hilariously over-the-top parody of 'Born This Way.'

After posting a 30-second snippet of the clip last week, Yankovic is now releasing the full version of the great video.

Directed by Yankovic himself, 'Perform This Way' features the funnyman's visage superimposed on a woman in various forms of ridiculous Gaga-style dress, including steak and bubble outfits. "I'll be a troll or evil queen/I'll be a human jelly bean/'Cause every day is Halloween/For me ..." Al sings while donning the bizarre get-ups.

Watch Weird Al Yankovic's Video for 'Perform This Way'

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Perform This Way (Parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga)

Yankovic's latest album 'Alpocalypse,' out June 21, is the follow-up to the Grammy-nominated 'Straight Outta Lynwood' and features parodies of Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry.

Source : http://www.popeater.com/2011/06/21/weird-al-perform-this-way-video/

'Weird Al' Yankovic Takes on Lady Gaga in 'Perform This Way' (Video)

Ryan Dunn hasn't even been dead for a day yet -- and film critic Roger Ebert is already ripping the late "Jackass" star for boozing before getting behind the wheel ... tweeting, "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."

Ryan Dunn Drunk
TMZ broke the story ... Dunn's drinking buddy claims Ryan had at least 3 beers and 3 shots before hitting the road in his Porsche.

Obviously, Ebert has a point -- but we gotta ask ...

Source : http://www.tmz.com/2011/06/20/roger-ebert-ryan-dunn-dies-death-drunk-driving-car-crash-accident-twitter-tweet/

Roger Ebert BLASTS Ryan Dunn for Drunk Driving

Summer is finally here – well, at 1:16 p.m. officially for those of us on the East Coast in the U.S. In honor of the summer solstice – the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – Google has tapped a guest Doodler, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, to create a special anime flavored kawaii logo for Google's home page.

Summer Solstice Google Doodle 2011

The logo is bright, flowery, and colorful, fittingly, but is a non-traditional way to celebrate summer for Google. And does anyone else find the right head, which resembles a vampiric Stewie Griffin on an LSD trip, very creepy?

Murakami, who was on Time magazine's 2008 edition of the 100 Most Influential People list and is noted for his "superflat" style, also illustrated a second snowy logo for Google, which appears in locations in the Southern Hemisphere today for their winter solstice.

Winter Solstice Google Doodle 2011

Last year, Google welcomed summer with four separate summer Doodles (as well as four winter Doodles for countries in the Southern Hemisphere). Here's a compilation:

Summer Solstice Google Doodles 2010

Winter Solstice Google Doodles 2010

In addition to a Father's Day Doodle in 2009, Google also posted summer and winter logos in select countries:

Summer Solstice Google Doodle 2009

Winter Solstice Google Doodle 2009

The first summer solstice Google Doodle appeared in 2008:

Summer Solstice Google Doodle 2008

What do you think of today's Doodles?

Source : http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2080341/Google-Welcomes-First-Day-of-Summer-Winter-With-Takashi-Murakami-Doodles

Google Welcomes First Day of Summer & Winter With Takashi Murakami Doodles

by Sean O'Neal June 3, 2011

When Megan Fox decided she didn’t want to play Transformers anymore—setting off a very public back-and-forth between her and director Michael Bay characterized by Fox calling Bay “Hitler” and his crew members responding, “Nuh-uh, you’re dumb”—many may have assumed that the whole thing boiled down to a simple schoolyard fight. Not so, says Shia LaBeouf, who believes that underneath the wars of words and huge-ass robots, there was a far deeper battle of the sexes going on.

“Megan developed this Spice Girl strength, this woman-empowerment [stuff] that made her feel awkward about her involvement with Michael, who some people think is a very lascivious filmmaker, the way he films women,” LaBeouf tells the L.A. Times, marking perhaps the first time in a decade that the Spice Girls have been used as a reference point for modern feminism. “Mike films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality,” he continues, explaining, “It's summer. It's Michael's style. And I think [Fox] never got comfortable with it. This is a girl who was taken from complete obscurity and placed in a sex-driven role in front of the whole world and told she was the sexiest woman in America. And she had a hard time accepting it.”

More than just Fox’s resistance to being sexualized, however, she simply didn’t like the way Bay spoke to her: “"When Mike would ask her to do specific things, there was no time for fluffy talk,” LaBeouf adds. “We're on the run. And the one thing Mike lacks is tact. There's no time for [LaBeouf assumes a gentle voice] ‘I would like you to just arch your back 70 degrees.'" Fortunately for 16-year-olds and also the summer, Bay was able to replace Fox with Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whitely, who has no such feminist compunctions about assuming the appropriate angles to make his films a success.

Megan Fox's Spice Girls-like feminism kept her from returning to Transformers

Fathers Day is tomorrow, and if you're looking for some last minute gift ideas for geeks, ThinkGeek has you covered. Whether it be a Half-Life Headcrab Hat or a jumbo Angry Birds plush toy, they're the one-stop shop. Continue reading to see them all.

Half-Life Headcrab Hat

At $29.99, the Half-Life Headcrab Hat is "completely neutralized and won't actually turn you into a zombie, but we're not 100% sure." Product page.

Jumbo Angry Birds Plush Bird

These giant Angry Birds plush toys are "huggable, squeezable, make great armrests and pillows, and most importantly, they're soft enough that you can chuck them at the pigs in your life." Product page.

Ghost Pepper Chili Flakes

Ghost Pepper Chili Flakes aren't for those who despite spicy foods, but they're perfect for into extreme things. The flakes are made from Ghost Peppers, also known as the Bhut Jolokia, which have clocked in at over 1,000,000 SHU. Product page.

Fathers Day Gift Ideas for Geeks

If you need some ideas on what to get your endurance dad, we have put together the ultimate list with the help of the local shops in the Chicago area. North, South, East, West, expensive and modest, we have something for everyone and they are in stock and ready for you to pick up.Running Away Multisport- Deerfield/Chicago (North)They are doing things right for dad at RAM. If you sign Dad up for a Guru Dynamic Bike Fit $300,

Fathers's Day Gift Ideas for the Endurance Dad

As Father’s Day is almost here and all fathers must be expecting special gifts from their children, it is essential for children to know what exactly their fathers want on this special day. Mentioned below are some great gift ideas along with unique ideas to spend this special day.

VIZIO’s 42-inch E3D420VX delivers an immersive 3D experience, Internet-connected entertainment with built-in Wi-Fi, playback of music and images from USB devices, and solid audio/video performance for a price that might surprise you.

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VIZIO’s ECO HD label means this HDTV exceeds the current ENERGY STAR Guidelines, saving you money on your utility bills while limiting your carbon footprint.

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42-inch CCFL-backlit LCD HDTV with 1080p resolution, 3D video, and VIZIO internet apps
Immersive VIZIO Theater 3D uses lightweight, inexpensive polarized glasses (two pairs included)
Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with Internet Apps for access to Netflix, VUDU HD movies, Pandora Internet radio, and more
120Hz refresh rate for smooth, super-sharp viewing for fast-action sports and movies
Playback of MP3 audio files and JPG images with full-screen slideshows via USB devices
1080p Full HD Resolution
120 Hz refresh rate
Includes 2 pairs of VIZIO 3D glasses (1 premium, 1 basic)
Theater 3D Bring the movie theater 3D experience home!
VIZIO Internet Apps with built-in WiFi