‘Slumdog,’ Streep, Ledger among SAG winners

“Slumdog Millionaire” continued its unlikely rise from low-budget underdog to the highest Hollywood heights, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast of a motion picture.

The prize, which is tantamount to best picture from the guild, follows top honors at the Golden Globes and the Producers Guild Awards.

On the television side, “30 Rock” swept with wins for comedy series cast, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. TV drama honors went to the cast of “Mad Men,” Hugh Laurie (“House”) and Sally Field (“Brothers & Sisters”).

“Slumdog,” the story of a teenage orphan from the slums of Mumbai who becomes the biggest winner ever on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” has been both a critical and commercial hit. Its victory drew enthusiastic applause from the star-studded crowd at the Shrine Auditorium Sunday night, and it’s looking like more of a front-runner than ever as it heads into the Academy Awards Feb. 22 with 10 nominations, including best picture.

Anil Kapoor, who played the movie’s smarmy game show host, spoke on behalf of the “Slumdog” cast and dedicated the honor to the film’s many young actors.

“They deserve this award. They set our performances,” he said. “It’s the children who’ve done it, not us.”

Sean Penn won the lead-actor award for his mesmerizing portrayal of slain gay-rights leader Harvey Milk in “Milk.” The notoriously outspoken star opened his acceptance speech by saying: “Thank you and good evening, comrades,” sparking laughter. “That was for (Bill) O’Reilly”...

“As actors, we don’t play gay, straight. We don’t play any of these kinds of people. We play human beings, and this movie is something that we’re, all of us involved, are so proud of,” he said. “This is a story about equal rights for all human beings.”

The lead-female actor award — SAG’s version of best actress — went to Meryl Streep for her scenery-chewing turn as a judgmental nun in “Doubt.” Streep joked as she took the stage that she didn’t even buy a dress for the occasion, stepping away from the podium to reveal a plunging black blouse and pants.

“Can I just say there is no such thing as the best actress, you know? There is no such thing as the ‘greatest living actress.’ I am in a position where I have secret information, that I know this to be true,” said the Academy Awards record-holder with 15 acting nominations, including one for “Doubt.” “I am so in awe of the work of the women this year — nominated, not nominated — so proud of us girls. And everybody wins when we get parts like this.”

More honors for Ledger
As expected, Heath Ledger posthumously won the supporting-actor award for his unpredictable turn as the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Ledger, who died a year ago of an accidental drug overdose, drew a standing ovation from his fellow actors. He’s already won a Golden Globe for his inspired performance and continues to look unbeatable at the Oscars.

“I’m quite emotional,” Ledger’s “Dark Knight” co-star Gary Oldman began, speaking in his place. “It is a great honor to be asked to accept this on behalf of Heath. He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent, and it’s wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight.”

And Kate Winslet continues to rack up the honors for her supporting performance as a former Nazi concentration camp guard in “The Reader.” She already has a Golden Globe for the part and is up for lead-actress at the Academy Awards.

Backstage, Winslet said playing Hanna Schmitz was the most challenging role of her career, one that still makes her “breathless and jangly” to discuss.

“When I was asked to play Hanna, I couldn’t find anything in my own life that I could compare to. I couldn’t relate to her at all. I was so frightened — I’ve never had that before, where I literally had nothing,” she said. “I didn’t like her all the time and it was hard coming to a place where I understood her at least. Did I sympathize with her? No. But I had to have an understanding of her.”

Meanwhile, among television winners, “30 Rock” continues its awards-show dominance. Fey, creator and star of the series set behind the scenes at a sketch-comedy show, lobbed a wisecrack at Hollywood producers, who have fought the trade guilds over actors’, writers’ and others’ share of potential profits from Web programming.

Joking that one day, her young daughter would be old enough to watch reruns of “30 Rock” on the Internet, Fey said: “She’ll look up at me and say, ‘What do you mean, you don’t get residuals for this?”’

And “Mad Men” continues its unlikely success streak with the drama ensemble prize. The story of ’60s advertising executives which airs on the cable channel AMC, also won best drama series at the Golden Globes and the Emmys.

Speaking on behalf of the cast, star Jon Hamm thanked “our dozens of viewers,” before acknowledging show creator Matthew Weiner.

Backstage, when asked what it’s like to win such an award when the Screen Actors Guild might go on strike, Hamm replied: “It’s a difficult time for the union and a difficult time for unions in general... I hope with the new administration’s more softened approach to labor there might be some more positive feedback on our end of things, but it’s impossible to know...

“It’s still feels good to win,” he added.

Mariana Bridi da Costa, Miss World Contestant Dies (Photos, Video)

Brazilian model and beauty queen contestant Mariana Bridi da Costa, 20, has died of complications resulting from a mysterious illness that developed in December. Her death was reported to have occurred on Saturday morning, January 24, 2009. She suffered a heart attack that was brought on by necrotic septicemia.

Mariana Bridi da Costa (1988-2009)

Mariana first sought treatment in December 2008 for what was believed to be kidney stones. Her condition deteriorated in January and doctors were forced to amputate her hands and feet in an attempt to stem the rapidly spreading infection that was causing the premature death of her cells and tissue.

The Brazilian beauty was a finalist in her country’s stage of the Miss World competition. She also participated in the 2007 Miss Bikini International competition.

Photo gallery below plus video tribute from youtube.

AMY Winehouse plays topless Scrabble while Salma Hayek hooks up with a Hollywood hunk.

AMY Winehouse has been photographed playing topless Scrabble. The singer stripped down to just a teeny pair of bikini bottoms to play the board game with some fellow hotel guests while on holiday in the Caribbean.

"While taking a break from her usual antics on the beach, Amy spotted some people playing Scrabble and decided to offer her spelling knowledge," a witness said.

"But only after whipping off her top! It was quite a sight."

Madonna and Britney Spears both touring Australia this year

IT'S back on again: Madonna is expected to tour Australia in September.

Now the dust has settled on her divorce, her Madgesty confirmed on her website yesterday she was extending the Sticky And Sweet world tour, The Daily Telegraph reports.

While the official statement confirms she is "looking forward to an amazing summer in Europe", prospective concert dates in Japan and Australia were leaked on her international promoter's site before being quickly pulled.

But not before they were sighted by eagle-eyed fans, who posted the dates on fan blogs.

The leaked itinerary featured four Australian concerts with Madonna scheduled to perform at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on September 26.

A Madonna show at Melbourne's Telstra Dome has been pencilled in for September 29 and is tipped to be confirmed this week.

The Telstra Dome date - a Tuesday - would not clash with the venue's AFL commitments.

Fans may have to shell out $150 for the cheapest seats, given the falling Australian dollar and Madonna's high production costs.

Seats closest to the stage could sell for as much as $400.

The website also listed shows in Brisbane and Perth, as well as Europe and Japan, before being swiftly removed.

The last time Madonna performed in Australia was for the 1993 Girlie Show tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Also leaked and then removed from the same Live Nation website were details of the next leg of Britney Spears' world tour - and it looks like the comeback pop princess and Madonna will both be in Australia in September.

Spears was slated to perform three concerts at Sydney's Acer Arena - right next door to the ANZ Stadium where Madonna is booked.

While their proximity would fuel a frenzy of speculation about cameos at each other's shows, it is unlikely Madonna or Spears' jam-packed schedules would allow for an Australian duet.

Local fans and promoters have been willing the dollar to improve to safeguard Australia as a must-do destination on the international touring circuit for the huge stadium acts.

With sales of more than 400,000 tickets for more than 40 shows, Pink has singlehandedly demonstrated that music fans here are determined to be entertained despite hard economic times.

Rock fans remain optimistic that AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and U2 also add Australian legs onto their international tours this year.

Superstars ... Madonna and Britney Spears are both expected
to play Australian dates in September

Sampson's Chemistry lesson with Paris

GEORGE SAMPSON has had the kind of night I expect of a Britain’s Got Talent Winner.

My pal spent Tuesday charming lovely LADY GAGA and PARIS HILTON.

The little fella danced Paris off her heels at Punk in London before his Lancy banter won over GaGa.

Parents among the Bizarre readership might say this isn’t how a 15-year-old body-popper should be spending his evenings.

But Georgie was the man of the moment, surrounded by famous faces at the fancy Nokia phone launch.

I do feel, however, that it is my duty as an, ahem,responsible adult to pen a letter to teachers working to help him pass his GCSEs.

Hopefully my effort will help him bypass 100 lines of... “I must not go clubbing until I am 18. I must not charm hotel heirheads who need me to get them in The Sun.” So here goes...

Dear Mr Hawksford,

Please accept my apologies for George Sampson’s failure to hand in his physics homework this morning.

The little scamp overcooked it on the Red Bull last night and didn’t get in until 2am.

I’ve slapped his wrists and warned him that if it happens again I will confiscate his favourite cap

You will be pleased to hear that George did indulge in an educational evening.

His geography teacher, Dr Thomson, will be delighted that George certainly knows where Paris is now, but he tells me it’s less glamorous close up.

He was also briefed on historic figures in music by Miss Jade Jagger.

Dr Little, George’s chemistry tutor, can look forward to his report on the stretching properties of latex following a Miss GaGa masterclass.

If you stumble across headmaster Mr Reid, probably best not to mention these lessons to him.

Mr Cowell might remove the funding for the new gym if he heard.

Regards,

Gordon Sampson
(George’s Uncle)

One night with Paris ... George Sampson gets
a kiss from heiress Hilton

Verne's smooch with blonde

VERNE Troyer looked back to his wild ways last night – as he cosied up to a scantily-clad blonde.

The Austin Powers actor shared a smooch with the busty babe – who was just wearing white underwear.

She marked a change from the likes of gobby Tina Malone and mum-of-four Ulrika Jonsson - who the 2ft 8in star had to spend weeks in the Celebrity Big Brother house with.

But Verne – known in Hollywood for being a party animal and ladies’ man – looked more comfortable in the company of his new friend in London’s Vendome club last night.

Sealed with a kiss ... Verne with the blonde

Apple MacBook MB466LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Slot Loading SuperDrive)

Redesigned with a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, the MacBook is thinner and lighter than its predecessor as well as stronger and more durable. But Apple didn't stop innovating with the body's design. The MacBook also includes a new 13.3-inch, LED-backlit glass display (instead of an LCD panel) and a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) and features includes Apple's Multi-Touch technology.

Under the hood, the MacBook is powered by a powerful 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (with 3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus), which runs applications faster and more efficiently as well as helps to reduce power requirements and save on battery life. And the MacBook features the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor, which delivers outstanding 3D game play with up to five times faster graphics performance than the previous generation.

It's pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which enables easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications--including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes--and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. Other hardware features include a 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (which can be upgraded to 4 GB), an 8x combo Superdrive (for burning dual-layer DVDs as well as CDs), built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), and Mini DisplayPort video output (for DVI and VGA connections).

See detail here ...

Apple Remote Desktop 3.2 - 10 Managed Systems

Every Mac computer is easy to use and simple to maintain--thanks to advanced Mac OS X features like Software Update, powerful preferences, and built-in networking. Now with Apple Remote Desktop 3, you can enjoy the same ease of use when you're managing more than one Mac. Whether you're responsible for a small business with a few computers, a midsize creative group, or an educational institution with a network of thousands, Apple Remote Desktop 3 enables you to manage all these computers--all from your own Mac.

Apple Remote Desktop 3 is a suite of integrated desktop management tools that facilitate a wide range of IT tasks. Using a single affordable product, you can distribute software, control and configure computers, offer live online help and training, run detailed reports, and implement security policies. Because Apple Remote Desktop allows you to work remotely and efficiently, you can accomplish more in less time--without ever needing to leave your desk and often without interrupting your users.

See detail here..

Barack Obama Stuff

Looking for all about Barack Obama ? Here the list :

Obama signs order to close Guantanamo in a year

President Barack Obama began overhauling U.S. treatment of terror suspects Thursday, signing orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, review military war crimes trials and ban the harshest interrogation methods.

"We intend to win this fight. We're going to win it on our terms," Obama said as he signed three executive orders and a presidential directive in the Oval Office. Obama explained each order before he put his pen to them and occasionally solicited input from White House counsel Greg Craig to make sure he was describing them correctly.

With his action, Obama started changing how the United States prosecutes and questions al-Qaida, Taliban or other foreign fighters who pose a threat to Americans — and overhauling America's image abroad, battered by accusations of the use of torture and the indefinite detention of suspects at the Guantanamo prison in Cuba.

"The message that we are sending the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly and we are going to do so effectively and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals," the president said.

The centerpiece order would close the much-maligned Guantanamo facility within a year, a complicated process with many unanswered questions that was nonetheless a key campaign promise of Obama's. The administration already has suspended trials for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo for 120 days pending a review of the military tribunals.

In the other actions, Obama:

_Created a task force that would have 30 days to recommend policies on handling terror suspects who are detained in the future. Specifically, the group would look at where those detainees should be housed since Guantanamo is closing.

_Required all U.S. personnel to follow the U.S. Army Field Manual while interrogating detainees. The manual explicitly prohibits threats, coercion, physical abuse and waterboarding, a technique that creates the sensation of drowning and has been termed a form of torture by critics. However, a Capitol Hill aide says that the administration also is planning a study of more aggressive interrogation methods that could be added to the Army manual — which would create a significant loophole to Obama's action Thursday.

"We believe that the Army Field Manual reflects the best judgment of our military, that we can abide by a rule that says we don't torture, but that we can still effectively obtain the intelligence that we need," Obama said. He said his action reflects an understanding that "we are willing to observe core standards of conduct, not just when it's easy, but also when it's hard."

_Directed the Justice Department to review the case of Qatar native Ali al-Marri, who is the only enemy combatant currently being held on U.S. soil. The review will look at whether al-Marri has the right to sue the government for his freedom, a right the Supreme Court already has given to Guantanamo detainees. The directive will ask the high court for a stay in al-Marri's appeals case while the review is ongoing. The government says al-Marri is an al-Qaida sleeper agent.

An estimated 245 men are being held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, most of whom have been detained for years without being charged with a crime. Among the sticky issues the Obama administration has to resolve are where to put those detainees — whether back in their home countries or at other federal detention centers — and how to prosecute some of them for war crimes.

In his first Oval Office signing ceremony, Obama was surrounded by retired senior military leaders. He described them as outstanding Americans who have defended the country — and its ideals.


President Barack Obama signs an executive order
closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay

YouTube - The King of Video Sharing?

Nathan Weinberg at Inside Google is claiming that YouTube has moved ahead of Google Video in terms of popularity. I totally agree. But it’s not just Google - these guys have moved ahead of everybody! This week, I caught a roundup of the “Flickrs of video” - here’s the list:

-Clipshack
-VSocial
-Grouper
-GoogleVideo
-Metacafe
-Castpost
-Vimeo
-Revver
-OurMedia

YouTube is way ahead of many of these services - YouTube videos are appearing on blogs and websites all over the place. OurMedia is also excellent, but it’s a non-profit and I’m more interested in startups right now. I’m also a fan of Grouper - it’s definitely one to watch.

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but the only video sharing service with a clear business model right now is Revver - they’re putting ads in videos and splitting the revenue with the content creator. Even this seems like a difficult thing to pull off - can they earn enough from the ads to pay for their bandwidth and reward the content creators? I’m not sure - but I’m keen to find out.

Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Century's Finest Lyrics--a Celebration of Our Greatest Songwriters, a Rediscovery of Forgotten Masters, and an

Most people remember a song better than they remember a poem. During the 1900^-75 scope of this sterling anthology, remembering a song was remembering a poem. That span was the heyday of the classic American popular song, which re-expressed all the old emotions in language invigorated by the dialects of all the external and internal immigrants drawn to America's burgeoning industrial centers. The typical classic American popular song--any of the 1,000-plus examples editors Gottlieb and Kimball have chosen--is rife with those pnemonic aids par excellence, rhyme and wordplay. Accordingly, you could use the book for a party game, the object of which would be seeing who recalls the most songs and, beyond that, can sing them. With lyricists including all the superstars, from Cohan to Sondheim, and plenty whose songs' fame have outlived that of their names, such as Haven Gillespie ("Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town") and Edward Eliscu ("Without a Song"), the party could take all of a grand night for singing.

Complete Lyrics for Over 1000 Songs from Tin Pan Alley to Today

The book compiles the lyrics to more than 1,000 songs, in genres ranging from Broadway to jazz standards to early rock 'n' roll to rap to Tin Pan Alley to love songs to today's favorite hits!

Highlights include: Adia * All I Ask of You * All You Need Is Love * Always * Amazed * And So It Goes * Angel * Barely Breathing * Beast of Burden * Beauty and the Beast * Bewitched * Brand New Day * Breathe * Building a Mystery * Can You Feel the Love Tonight * Can't Help Falling in Love * Come Rain or Come Shine * Could I Have This Dance * Crazy * A Day in the Life * Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend * Don't Fear the Reaper * Don't Get Around Much Anymore * Edelweiss * Eleanor Rigby * Endless Love * Every Breath You Take * Fast Car * Fields of Gold * The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face * Fly Me to the Moon * The Fool on the Hill * Forever Young * 4 Seasons of Loneliness * Friends in Low Places * Galileo * Genie in a Bottle * Gettin' Jiggy Wit It * Give Me One Reason * Grow Old with Me * Here, There and Everywhere * Hey Jude * Hold My Hand * How Am I Supposed to Live Without You * How Deep Is Your Love * I Don't Want to Wait * I Heard It Through the Grapevine * I Write the Songs * Imagine * Iris * Isn't It Romantic? * Joy to the World * King of Pain * Lady in Red * Let It Be * Love Me Tender * Luck Be a Lady * Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds * Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of ...) * Misty * Moon River * More Than Words * My Funny Valentine * My Girl * My Heart Will Go On * Our House * Owner of a Lonely Heart * Penny Lane * Piano Man * The Rainbow Connection * Rainy Days and Mondays * Real World * Reflection * Respect * Rhiannon * Ribbon in the Sky * The River of Dreams * Route 66 * Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band * Sometimes When We Touch * Stella by Starlight * Stormy Weather * Strawberry Fields Forever * There's No Business like Show Business * 3 AM * Three Times a Lady * Time in a Bottle * Turn! Turn! Turn! * The Way We Were * We've Only Just Begun * What a Wonderful World * When I Fall in Love * Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? * A Whiter Shade of Pale * A Whole New World * With a Little Help from My Friends * Yesterday * You'll Be in My Heart * You're the Inspiration * You've Got a Friend * and hundreds more! Songs are presented alphabetically, and the book also includes an artist index, a songwriter index, and an index listing songs from musicals, movies and television.

Paris Hilton New Sex Tape

RUMOURS of a new Paris Hilton sex tape have put the hotel heiress back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

The shocking footage claims to show Paris in a 'state of arousal in a New York Taxi.' The Hollywood honey is no stranger to sexy celluloid, as a previous video showed her romping with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon.

These days it seems that many celebs are revelling in the naughty notoriety. For some it may even boost a flagging career.

"First it was Pammy then Paris Hilton and Abi Titmus - the list is almost endless," says FlashGorden. And indeed, there is no shortage of camera-shy cupids in Tinsel town.

"It seems as if everyone who has a 'glamour' type career needs to release a sex tape."

And with the wonders of the web, a star's torrid tapes can be seen worldwide at the touch of a button.

Pammi pops out to the beach

HER BIKINI maybe three sizes too small, but that didn't stop PAMELA ANDERSON trying her very best to squeeze into it.

The former Baywatch actress was spotted frolicking with her new man over the weekend on Malibu beach, where she owns a seaside pad.

The couple were spotted having a wrestle and, judging by the grin smacked across his face, her new fella was lapping up every second.



Floored ... Pammi wrestles with new man

Pammi just about kept her infamous bust covered up, though the same could not be said of her rear end with her bikini-bottoms exposing a not-so-flattering builders' bum look.

Brad Pitt Has a Button Blast!

Brad Pitt takes a picture with Luise Helm (German actress) at the after-party for the German premiere of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button at Kaisersaal at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany on Monday.

No sign of Angie at the party — perhaps she was back home taking care of the kids!





Hollywood’s royal couple walked the red carpet
in Germany for the premiere of TCCBB where Angie worked out her new retro sideswept hair.

Supermodel Marissa Miller shows off her curves in two bikinis

Supermodel Marissa Miller shows off her curves in two bikinis for a Victoria’s Secret photoshoot in St. Bart’s on Monday.

The 30-year-old buxom beauty from California has been shooting along with Miranda Kerr. Marisa has also received attention recently for taking the cover the Australian edition of the men’s magazine, FHM. Check out the cover and the inside spread!

15+ pictures of Marisa Miller and her secret…

Appaloosa Trailer

A History of Violence co-stars Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris reteam as gunmen who ride into a small, dusty and lawless town suffering at the hands of a renegade rancher. The peacekeepers for-hire become the only force that can stand against the rancher and bring him to justice. Based on the novel by Robert B. Parker and directed by Harris, it's a character-driven, bullet-hard tale of loyalty and survival.


Watch the Theatrical Trailer:

Brideshead Revisited Trailer

Emma Thompson stars in a provocative story of love, power and betrayal set against the decadent world of British aristocracy. Based on Evelyn Waugh's classic 1945 novel, the film tells the tale of an ambitious young middle-class man who becomes infatuated and entangled in the affairs of the noble Marchmain family, but soon learns that that everything comes at a price.

Swing Vote trailer

Swing Vote Next week, USA will witness history as a new president takes office, after one of the most dramatic elections in years. But what if the election came down to the vote of one man? And not just any man -- Kevin Costner as a gone-fishin', six-pack-swiggin' loveable loser. He and his daughter suddenly find themselves in the center of a political frenzy when a flub at the polls puts the fate of the U.S. presidential election on one ballot -- his. With the entire country watching, the nobody is asked to become the voice of everybody, proving that every vote really does count.

See the trailer :

NEW IN TOWN TRAILER { Renée Zellweger }

A Miami businesswoman is transferred to rural Minnesota, and while she is there she re-evaluates her big-city values.






Also Known As: 32 and Single Chilled in Miami Thirty Two and Single
Production Status: In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 36 min.
Release Date: January 30th, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for for brief strong language.
Distributors: Lionsgate
Production Co.: Gold Circle Films, Epidemic Pictures and Management, Inc., The Safran Company, Edmonds Entertainment
Studios: Universal Pictures
Financiers: Gold Circle Films
Filming Locations: Miami, Florida USA
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Produced in: United States

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) || Underworld 3 || last trailer #4

Explores the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.







Also Known As:
Prequel Underworld
Underworld 3
Underworld III
Underworld Prequel
Production Status: In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres: Romance, Suspense/Horror, Thriller and Sequel
Running Time: 1 hr. 32 min.
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence and some sexuality.
Distributors: Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Co.: Sketch Films, Lakeshore Entertainment
Studios: Screen Gems
Filming Locations: Auckland, New Zealand
Produced in: United States

Revolutionary Road

Frank and April, a married couple in the 1950s, have always seen themselves as special, different, ready and willing to live their lives based on higher ideals. So, as soon as they move into their new house on Revolutionary Road, they proudly declare their independence from the suburban inertia that surrounds them and determine never to be trapped by the social confines of their era. Yet for all their charm, beauty and irreverence, the Wheelers find themselves becoming exactly what they didnâ¿¿t expect: a good man with a routine job whose nerve has gone missing; a less-than-happy homemaker starving for fulfillment and passion; an American family with lost dreams, like any other. Driven to change their fates, April hatches an audacious plan to start all over again, to leave the comforts of Connecticut behind for the great unknown of Paris. But when the plan is put in motion, each spouse is pushed to extremes--one to escape whatever the cost, the other to save all that they have, no matter the compromises.

Production Status: Released
Logline: A husband and wife in 1950s suburban Connecticut, dissatisfied with life, move to France and their relationship deteriorates into an endless cycle of squabbling, jealousy and recriminations.
Genres: Drama and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hr. 59 min.
Release Date: December 26th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content/nudity.
Distributors: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage
Production Co.: Neal Street Productions, Evamere Entertainment, BBC Films
Studios: DreamWorks
Financiers: Goldcrest Film Finance
U.S. Box Office: $3,155,656
Filming Locations: New York, New York USA
Produced in: United Kingdom

Inkheart

Mo Folchart possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo's daughter and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends --both real and magic--and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right.




Also Known As:
Tintenherz
Production Status: In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres: Action/Adventure, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Co.: Chicken House Publishing Ltd
Studios: New Line Cinema
Filming Locations: Italy Shepperton, United Kingdom
Produced in: Germany

Mr. President, it's cold outside

It's cold, maybe even freezing. Sometimes it snows. So why do we have to have a huge outdoor event to inaugurate a new president on January 20? Our first president, George Washington, was smart enough to get himself inaugurated on a more balmy April 30, 1789. What went wrong?

In short, the Constiution did it. Inaugurations used to be held in March to give electors four months to cast their ballots. But the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution changed the date to Jan. 20, and Franklin D. Roosevelt's second swearing-in ceremony in 1937 was the first held on the new date. FindLaw says a report from the Senate Committee on the Judiciary offered some reasons for the change:

"[W]hen our Constitution was adopted there was some reason for such a long intervention of time between the election and the actual commencement of work by the new Congress.... Under present conditions [of communication and transportation] the result of elections is known all over the country within a few hours after the polls close, and the Capital City is within a few days' travel of the remotest portions of the country....

"Another effect of the amendment would be to abolish the so-called short session of Congress.... Every other year, under our Constitution, the terms of Members of the House and one-third of the Members of the Senate expire on the 4th day of March.... Experience has shown that this brings about a very undesirable legislative condition."

In other words, that's an awfully long lame-duck session, and we now have airplanes and 24-hour news and the Internet — in 2008, we knew Obama would be the next president by 11pm ET. As the 2000 election reminded us, we don't always know who's going to president by the end of election night. And in the days of yore, presidents had to physically move to the nation's capital without the help of FedEx, super highways and United hubs.

Getting our president to work on time — that seems a worthwhile amendment. And not to worry: President-elect Obama says a chilly weather report won't deter him from the traditional outdoor ceremony. So if you're headed to D.C. to catch the big show for yourself, you might want to take some advice from Karin Tanabe at the Huffington Post, who has clearly been debating "what to wear?" for quite some time:

"So what does one wear to be sandwiched between total strangers for hours while craning your neck to see a Jumbotron in sub-zero weather? Clothing you never want to see again. Don't mind if a reveler accidentally flambés your parka? Then by all means wear it. And then throw another one on top for good measure. Spent your entire month's salary on stilettos so fabulous you had them sewn to your feet? It's time to cut them off and wear the sensible shoes favored by nuns and your Aunt Mildred."

Even if you're cold and not-so-comfortable, it's always a special moment watching a new leader say these famous words:

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Free SEO for Blogger in Yahoo

Unlike Google, Yahoo has some limitation to browse a new site thoroughly. Therefore, it is unlikely for a new website to reach first position on yahoo search result page. However as a search engine yahoo is the second biggest search engine and it has loyal user on several countries.

Many have said that submitting your blog to yahoo directory will improve your site position on Yahoo SERP (Search Engine Result Page), unfortunately this submission is not free. You will be charged $299 recurring annual fee to maintain your web listed in their directory.

However we still always have free alternative to improve our web position on yahoo SERP. I found the following tips. and I will share those tips to you as well. You only requires to have Yahoo account. If you have yahoo email, then you are ready to use this tips.

First: Add your blog feed to MyYahoo. This blog feed will notify the crawler from Yahoo to index your website as soon as you publish a new post.

Second: Add your feed’s url on yahoo live bookmark, MyWeb, and import all of your post by using Import via RSS feature.

Third: Don’t forget to utilize Yahoo Site Explorer for SEO advantage. Add your URLs on site explorer and validate them. Adding the URL of your blog feed is also useful. This site explorer is similar with Google webmaster tools.

Now you can wait the crawler from yahoo to index your site thoroughly and see the result within 1-2 months. But keep your site updated regularly since it is the golden rules of SEO. You can read a nice SEO analogy on this page.

This free method is considered as white hat SEO. Because when you use Black Hat SEO techniques, you might end in banned.

10 Great Blog Traffic Tips

In every bloggers activity comes a adapted day - the day they aboriginal barrage a new blog. Now unless you went out and purchased anyone else’’s blog affairs are your blog launched with alone one actual loyal clairvoyant - you. Maybe a few canicule after you accustomed a few hits if you told your sister, father, adherent and best acquaintance about your new blog but that’’s about as far you went if it comes to award readers.

Here are the top 10 techniques new bloggers can use to acquisition readers. These are tips accurately for new bloggers, those humans who accept next-to-no admirers at the moment and wish to get the brawl rolling.

It helps if you plan on this account from top to basal as anniversary address builds on the antecedent footfall to admonition you actualize momentum. Eventually already you authorize abundant drive you accretion what is alleged “traction”, which is a ample abundant admirers abject (about 500 readers a day is good) that you no best accept to plan too harder on award new readers. Instead your accepted loyal readers do the plan for you through chat of mouth.

Top 10 Tips

10. Address at atomic 5 aloft “pillar” articles. A colonnade commodity is a tutorial appearance commodity aimed to advise your admirers something. Generally they are best than 500 words and accept lots of actual applied tips or advice. This commodity you are currently account could be advised a colonnade commodity aback it is actual applied and a acceptable “how-to” lesson. This appearance of commodity has continued appellation appeal, stays accepted (it isn’t account or time dependent) and offers absolute amount and insight. The added pillars you accept on your blog the better.

9. Address one new blog column per day minimum. Not every column has to be a pillar, but you should plan on accepting those 5 pillars done at the aforementioned time as you accumulate your blog beginning with a circadian account or abbreviate commodity appearance post. The important affair actuality is to authenticate to aboriginal time visitors that your blog is adapted all the time so they feel that if they arise aback tomorrow they will acceptable acquisition something new. This causes them to bookmark your website or subscribe to your blog feed.

You don”t accept to aftermath one column per day all the time but it is important you do if your blog is cast new. Already you get absorption you still charge to accumulate the beginning agreeable advancing but your loyal admirers will be added affectionate if you apathetic down to a few per anniversary instead. The aboriginal few months are analytical so the added agreeable you can aftermath at this time the better.

8. Use a able area name. If you are austere about blogging be austere about what you alarm your blog. In adjustment for humans to calmly advance the chat about your blog you charge a calmly enduring area name. Humans generally allocution about blogs they like if they are speaking to accompany in the absolute apple (that’’s the offline world, you bethink that abode right?) so you charge to accomplish it simple for them to advance the chat and canyon on your URL. Try and get a .com if you can and focus on baby simple to bethink domains rather than anguish about accepting the actual keywords (of advance if you can get abundant keywords and simple to bethink again you’ve done a acceptable job!).

7. Start commenting on added blogs. Already you accept your colonnade online writing and your circadian beginning abate online writing your blog is accessible to be apparent to the world. One of the best means to acquisition the adapted blazon of clairvoyant for your blog is to animadversion on added people’s blogs. You should aim to animadversion on blogs focused on a agnate alcove affair to castigation aback the readers there will be added acceptable to be absorbed in your blog.

Most blog commenting systems acquiesce you to accept your name/title affiliated to your blog if you leave a comment. This is how humans acquisition your blog. If you are a abounding commentor and consistently accept something admired to say again humans will be absorbed to apprehend added of your plan and appropriately bang through to appointment your blog.

6. Trackback and hotlink to added blogs in your blog posts. A trackback is array of like a blog conversation. If you address a new commodity to your blog and it links or references addition blogger’’s commodity you can do a trackback to their entry. What this does is leave a truncated arbitrary of your blog column on their blog access - it’’s array of like your blog cogent anyone else’s blog that you wrote an commodity advertence them. Trackbacks generally arise like comments.

This is a acceptable address because like abrogation comments a trackback leaves a hotlink from addition blog aback to castigation for readers to follow, but it aswell does something actual important - it gets the absorption of addition blogger. The added blogger will acceptable arise and apprehend your column acquisitive to see what you wrote about them. They may again become a loyal clairvoyant of castigation or at atomic adviser you and if you are advantageous some time down the alley they may do a column bond to your blog bringing in added new readers.

5. Animate comments on your own blog. One of the a lot of able means to argue anyone to become a loyal clairvoyant is to appearance there are added loyal readers already afterward your work. If they see humans commenting on your blog again they infer that your agreeable accept to be acceptable aback you accept readers so they should stick about and see what all the fuss is about. To animate comments you can artlessly affectation a catechism in a blog post. Be abiding to consistently acknowledge to comments as able-bodied so you can accumulate the chat going.

4. Abide your latest colonnade commodity to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is a column in a blog that summarizes a accumulating of online writing from abounding altered blogs on a specific topic. The abstraction is to aggregate some of the best agreeable on a affair in a accustomed week. Generally abounding added blogs hotlink aback to a carnival host and as such the humans that accept online writing featured in the carnival generally adore a fasten in new readers.

To acquisition the adapted blog carnival for your blog, do a seek at blogcarnival.com.

3. Abide your blog to blogtopsites.com. To be honest this tip is not traveling to accompany in a flood of new readers but it’’s so simple to do and alone takes 5 account so it’’s account the effort. Go to Blog Top Sites, acquisition the adapted class for your blog and abide it. You accept to archetype and adhesive a brace of curve of cipher on to your blog so you can rank and again sit aback and watch the cartage arise in. You will apparently alone get 1-10 admission readers per day with this address but over time it can body up as you ascend the rankings. It all helps!

2. Abide your online writing to EzineArticles.com. This is addition tip that doesn’t accompany in hundreds of new visitors anon (although it can if you accumulate accomplishing it) but it’’s advantageous because you artlessly advantage what you already accept - your colonnade articles. Already a anniversary or so yield one of your colonnade online writing and abide it to Ezine Articles. Your commodity again becomes accessible to added humans who can republish your commodity on their website or in their newsletter.

How you account is through what is alleged your “Resource Box”. You actualize your own ability box which is like a signature book area you cover one to two sentences and hotlink aback to your website (or blog in this case). Anyone who publishes your commodity has to cover your ability box so you get admission links. If anyone with a ample newsletter publishes your commodity you can get a lot of new readers at once.

1. Address added colonnade articles. Aggregate you do aloft will admonition you to acquisition blog readers about all of the techniques I’ve listed alone plan if you accept able pillars in place. Without them if you do aggregate aloft you may accompany in readers but they won’t break or bother to arise back. Aim for one solid colonnade commodity per anniversary and by the end of the year you will accept a database of over 50 absurd affection online writing that will plan harder for you to accompany in added and added readers.

I achievement you enjoyed my account of cartage tips. Aggregate listed aloft are techniques I’ve put into abode myself for my blogs and accept formed for me, about it’’s absolutely not a absolute list. There are abounding added things you can do. Award readers is all about testing to see what works best for you and your admirers and I accept no agnosticism if you put your apperception to it you will acquisition a antithesis that works for you.

This commodity was accounting by a bedfellow blogger by the name of Yaro Starak who is a able blogger and my blog mentor. He is the baton of the Blog Mastermind mentoring affairs advised to advise bloggers how to acquire a abounding time assets blogging allotment time.

Frenchman speaks nonstop for 124 hours to set speech record

Frenchman Lluis Colet broke the world record for the longest speech after rambling nonstop for 124 hours about Spanish painter Salvador Dali, Catalan culture and other topics.

The 62-year-old Catalan and local government worker spoke for five straight days and four nights to set the record in the southern French town of Perpignan.

Three notaries were on hand to recognise the feat which allows Colet to enter it in the Guinness Book of Records.

The previous record was held by an Indian man who delivered a 120-hour speech.

Colet began speaking at Perpignan's railway station on Monday by reciting the works of famous authors or using some of his own writing. He also spoke profusely about Dali, a painter he admires, and Catalan culture.

Large crowds turned out in support of Colet, who received a rapturous applause at the end of his speech.

"This is a big day for me and I dedicate this record to all those who defend Catalan language and culture," he said, his voice fainter after five days of nonstop talking.

Colet had set the record once before in 2004 when he spoke for 48 straight hours.

Appaloosa

When two gunmen, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, arrive in Appaloosa they find a small, dusty and lawless town suffering at the hands of renegade rancher Randall Bragg. Bragg has not only taken supplies, horses, and women for his own, but also has left the city marshal and a deputy for dead. In Bragg they find an unusually wily adversary who raises the stakes by playing with emotions. It is now up to Cole and Hitch to stand against the actions of the renegade rancher, which have already taken their toll on the town.

Play trailer :


Production Status: Released
Logline: Two friends are hired to police a small town.
Genres: Romance, Western and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hr. 48 min.
Release Date: September 19th, 2008 (limited), October 3rd, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for some violence and language.
Distributors:
Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:
Amer Productions, Zeke Productions, Groundswell Productions, Axiom Films
Studios:
New Line Cinema
Financiers:
Axon Films
U.S. Box Office: $20,157,730
Filming Locations:
New Mexico, USA
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA
Galisteo, New Mexico, USA
Algodones, New Mexico, USA
Austin, Texas, USA
Produced in: United States

Much change in Biggie Smalls' neighborhood

In rapper Biggie Smalls' old Brooklyn neighborhood, the building that once housed a coin laundry is now a plastic surgeon's office. A block away, a wine bar sells "artisanal" cheeses and meats.

Much has changed where the late superstar spent all but a few years of his life and sometimes sold crack cocaine before spinning vivid tales of his street exploits into millions of record sales.

"It's completely different," said Voletta Wallace, Smalls' mother, who moved into the area in 1969 and left after her son was killed, at age 24, in a 1997 drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. "It's a place for the better."

Wallace is a producer of "Notorious," the Smalls movie biography that hit theaters on Friday, and was on the set during filming in the area.

In interviews, she and other longtime residents and business owners reminisced about Smalls and reflected on the neighborhood's changes, which have occasionally sparked tension.

"Much has changed but much remains the same," said City Councilwoman Letitia James, whose district includes the neighborhood.

"In the movie the drug trade was a predominant feature," she said. "Crack was at its height. Some of what happened and occurred and existed during Biggie's time is still on Fulton Street, and we're trying to address that."

"But we've come a very long way," James added.

She emphasized the neighborhood's racial and class diversity. There's less graffiti and more white, Asian, Latino and professional residents as well as blue-collar workers, artists, and students.

On Fulton, the major commercial artery where the crack trade flourished in the 1980s and '90s — and where Smalls sometimes wowed sidewalk crowds with freestyles, making up rhymes on the spot — there's now a mosque and a "coffee lounge" offering organic hot chocolate, chai latte and macchiato. The video-game arcade is now a restaurant of traditional West African food.

Smalls, who also used the stage name The Notorious B.I.G. but who was born Christopher Wallace, lived with his mother in a seven-room apartment at 226 St. James Place.

Voletta Wallace, a Jamaican immigrant, taught preschool by day while earning her master's and attending Jehovah's Witness services in the evenings.

Young Chris had a talent for visual art and attended Catholic school and public high school but dropped out after being lured away by the crack trade's fast money and accoutrements.

"My son wasn't the pauperized kid he made himself out to be," his mother told writer Cheo Hodari Coker, who co-wrote the screenplay for "Notorious."

Although B.I.G. claimed the Bedford-Stuyvesant area as home ("Live from Bedford-Stuyvesant, the livest one representing BK to the fullest"), his old building has been part of the Clinton Hill Historic District, west of Bed-Stuy, since 1981.

In the late 19th century, the neighborhood of mansions, Victorian row houses and brownstones was home to some of the city's wealthiest white residents, including the Underwoods (as in typewriters), the Pfizers and Bristols (FDA-approved drugs), and Charles Pratt (oil).

"The Pfizers of Clinton Hill gave way to street pharmacists selling heroin and cocaine on the corner," Coker wrote in the 2004 book "Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of The Notorious B.I.G."

Blacks from Harlem, the South and the Caribbean began moving into the neighborhood in earnest in the 20th century. By the 1970s and '80s mostly black neighborhoods like Clinton Hill, which contained solid black middle and working classes, were lumped in with the grittier Bed-Stuy.

Since then, with Manhattanites and others moving deep into Brooklyn in search of less pricey real estate, real estate agents have revived names like Clinton Hill and Fort Greene to disassociate those areas from Bed-Stuy, which many outsiders associated with blight, crime and poverty, people familiar with the neighborhoods say.

Apartments in B.I.G.'s old building have been converted to condominiums, and brownstones in the neighborhood have sold for as much as $3 million. Studio apartments are advertised for $1,250 a month while one-bedrooms rent for as much as $1,700.

Current residents include actor Jeffrey Wright and his wife, actress Carmen Ejogo; actor Malik Yoba; actress Rosie Perez; rapper-actor Mos Def; and rapper Talib Kweli.

Some older residents, most of them black, complain about the higher rents and about how newer residents (usually white) try to change things in an "insulting" and "disrespectful" manner.

Some newer residents gripe about "noise" coming from black churches, and about young black men rehearsing their rap music in parks, talking to each other on stoops and sitting in playgrounds, maybe reading a book or magazine, without children.

"What we've attempted to do is bridge the gap, the divide," James said.

B.I.G.'s debut CD, 1994's "Ready to Die," helped re-energize the East Coast rap scene, which up to that point had been overshadowed by West Coast rap.

Three years later, on March 9, 1997, B.I.G. was killed. Six months earlier, rapper Tupac Shakur, 25, died following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Police have yet to solve either killing.

In Brooklyn, love for B.I.G. and his music is easy to find, particularly in the summer when hits like "Juicy," "One More Chance" and "Big Poppa" float from apartment and car stereo speakers, and T-shirts bearing his likeness are perennial fashion.

Many fans say B.I.G., who stood 6-foot-3 and weighed more than 300 pounds, was the best rapper ever to rhyme, citing his charisma, wit and emotional honesty.

"Just like after Ali there's no boxing and after Bruce Lee there's no karate, after Biggie there's no rap. It's a wrap. He's the king," said Abraham Widdi, who's worked for 35 years in his family's Met Food, where B.I.G. once bagged groceries.

Near the cash registers is a photo of B.I.G., hung on the wall after his killing.

Across the street, barber Eugene "Guess" Minter recalled meeting B.I.G. when he walked into the shop one day when he was 12 or 13. Years later, the rapper entered the shop with news of his record deal.

"He was so happy," Minter recalled. "He said, 'Guess, I finally got signed!'"

B.I.G. needed a haircut that day but didn't have any money, recalled Minter, who cut his hair anyway.

"That afternoon he came back with five crispy $100 bills," Minter said.

Guess also remembered B.I.G.'s endurance as a freestyler, arguing that only a couple of rappers, including KRS-One, could possibly outlast him.

"He could freestyle, it seemed, forever," Minter said. "If you didn't stop him, he would keep going without stumbling over words. He was a lyrical wizard, a lyrical genius."

"We lost something," Minter said later. "All of us. The world."


In this March 18, 1997 file photo, an unidentified neighbor
of rapper Biggie Smalls,
also known as Notorious …

Obama: 'Dramatic action' needed now to fix economy

President-elect Barack Obama made a pitch for his massive economic stimulus plan at a Midwestern factory that manufactures wind turbine parts, saying Friday his proposal would make smart investments in the country's future and create solid jobs in up-and-coming industries.

"Renewable energy isn't something pie in the sky. It's not part of a far-off future. It's happening all across America right now," Obama told workers at the Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. in this Cleveland suburb. "It can create millions of additional jobs and entire new industries if we act right now."

Just days before taking the oath of office as the 44th president, Obama used the factory as a backdrop as he sought to generate support from the public — constituents of skeptical Republicans and Democrats in Congress — for his pricey plan to pull the country out of recession.

Seeking to counter critics' claims of excessive spending and too few tax cuts, Obama cast the package as necessary to create long-lasting, well-paying jobs in industries such as alternative energy, and help hard-hit industrial states such as Ohio now and in the future.

"It's not too late to change course — but only if we take dramatic action as soon as possible," Obama said. He pledged: "The first job of my administration is to put people back to work and get our economy moving again."

"We're not looking to create just any kind of jobs here," Obama added. "We're looking to create good jobs that pay well and won't be shipped overseas. Jobs that don't just put people to work in the short term, but position our economy to be on the cutting edge in the long term."

His audience — factory workers, invited guests and state officials, including Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland — gave him warm greetings and polite applause at the relatively low-key appearance.

Obama held the campaign-style event — likely the first in a series — one day after the Senate agreed to give him access to the second half of last fall's $700 billion financial industry bailout and House Democrats unveiled an $825 billion stimulus package that could reach $1 trillion by the time Congress sends it to him.

One of the largest bills ever to make its way through Congress, it calls for federal spending of roughly $550 billion and tax cuts of $275 billion over the next two years to revive the sickly economy. It also focuses heavily on energy, education, health care and jobs-producing highway construction.

Energy-related proposals include $32 billion to upgrade the nation's electrical distribution system, more than $20 billion in tax cuts to promote the development of alternatives to oil fuels, and billions more to make public housing, federal buildings and modest-income homes more energy efficient.

Over the past three months, Obama has moved from campaigning for president to campaigning for a stimulus plan. He has been in Washington for two weeks, and he and his advisers have spent much of the time consulting with Congress on the plan's components. He is seeking to secure lawmakers' backing even as both Republicans and Democrats raise concerns about its price tag and tax provisions.

Despite the resistance, House and Senate leaders have pledged to give Obama legislation to sign by mid-February.

The stakes are enormous for Obama.

Passage of the plan — and bipartisan passage in particular — would mark a significant achievement at the outset of his administration. Obama is inheriting a deep recession from President George W. Bush. Defeat would be a blow, coming not just in his first weeks in office but also as joblessness increases, bank failures continue, investment portfolios shrink and home prices plummet.

Either way, the success or failure of the plan could well set the tone for Obama's first 100 days in office, if not his first year or longer.

Ohio was a fitting selection for Obama's first trip outside Washington to promote the plan; it's a state steeped in both political and economic symbolism. Obama won Ohio in last fall's election by 4 percentage points over Republican Sen. John McCain in a campaign that focused heavily on worsening economic conditions.

The state also is part of the industrial Midwest that's been hit especially hard by the recession; it has posted huge losses in manufacturing, has a high foreclosure rate and a 7.3 percent unemployment rate in November.

Unlike many other businesses in the state, the company that Obama visited can boast of growth.

Founded in 1983, the company has 65 employees and is seeking to hire more. It recently announced the creation of a wind power division to respond to what the company says is a surge of demand for parts in the wind turbine industry.

Wearing clear protective glasses with his dark business suit, Obama took a tour of the chilly factory. He stopped at several stations to greet workers and watch them demonstrate the steps to manufacture large screws and bolts used to hold wind turbines together.

"The need for us to act is now. It's never been more urgent," Obama said. But given the economic crisis, he also repeated a warning: "Recovery won't happen overnight, and it's likely that, even with these measures, things will get worse before they get better."


President-elect Barack Obama
speaks to workers about the economy after
touring Cardinal Fastener and …

PS3 will be $299 in April, analyst predicts

Could the days of the $400 Playstation 3 be numbered?

So says financial analyst Michael Pachter, who predicted this week that Sony will trim the price of its cheapest Playstation 3 pack to a "more affordable" $299 in April, and that an Xbox 360 price cut will follow by June.

And the Wii? Don't hold your breath. "We expect Nintendo to maintain Wii pricing at $249 until the company sees signs that demand is slowing, which means a price cut may not happen until late in the year, if at all," Pachter said. Like any analyst, Pachter, who is employed by securities firm Wedbush-Morgan, isn't always right, but he boasts a healthy hit rate at anticipating similar moves in the past, notably predicting PS3 and Xbox 360 price cuts in 2007. Don't expect official confirmation from either Microsoft or Sony, though: telling your customers about price cuts four months in advance tends not to be a very common strategy.

Ailing Sony, which is tipped to be about to post its first annual loss for 14 years, could well expect a significant sales boost if Pachter's prediction pans out. The Playstation 3 is heading into 2009 with a bumper lineup of upcoming exclusive games, including Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, and superhero-themed DC Universe Online, and a lower price point could well lend the console much-needed momentum.


Upcoming PS3 Titles

Jeff Monson charged with mischief; ESPN not an accomplice

Jeff Monson is either really dumb or really smart. I'm leaning towards the latter.

The fighter, who last appeared in the Mixed Fighting Alliance, winning over Ricco Rodriguez in December, has a warrant against him for defacing the Capitol building in Olympia, Wash. This warrant was issued after pictures of him painting an anarchist symbol on the building appeared in ESPN the Magazine.

See, Monson is an outspoken anarchist. He has said many times that he wants to do away with the social hierarchies that govern our world. The best way for Monson to share these theories is through the mass media, so publicity is his friend.

Is Monson so dumb that he would expect ESPN to not use photographs of him committing a crime? Of course not. This is a man with a Master's degree in psychology. He understands the ramifications of civil disobedience. If he didn't want attention brought to his cause, he would have asked ESPN to photograph him sitting at home, enjoying dinner.

Monson was charged with first-degree malicious mischief, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of a $20,000 fine and 10 years in prison. ESPN did not do him a favor by running that picture, but it's not their job to protect athletes. It's their job to cover them, a fact which Monson has used to make sure that everyone is discussing his cause today.

Dubya's New Digs

Everyone's obsessing about the new guy, Barack What's-His-Face, moving into the White House. But what about the fella who's been living there for eight years? He's about to be evicted! Where the heck is he supposed to go?

Answer: Dallas. President Bush and wife Laura have purchased a swanky 8,500-square-foot home in suburban Preston Hollow. According to an audio report from NPR, the president and first lady will take up residence on Daria Drive. It was once a sleepy little street, but ever since the move was announced, it has become a place for gawkers and photo-hounds.

For those reasons and more, the street will soon become a gated community. The Dallas Morning News reports that the city council "unanimously approved gating Daria Drive." And, in case you were wondering, an article from KERA quotes a council member as saying that the new gate will "be done at his [Bush's] expense." Nobody seems too sure who is going to pay for Dallas police to "provide around the clock security."

Regardless of who foots the bill, neighbors seem to be generally enthusiastic about having a former president on the street. A local young Republican printed up signs declaring "Welcome Home, George and Laura." Future neighbor, Tom Hicks, who owns the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, is considering adding a helipad to his property. We assume he wouldn't mind letting Dubya use it every once in a while. Heck, it'd be the neighborly thing to do.

ULServicesOnline, the best online personal loan

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