January 21, 2011

TOP 10: The WACKIEST AUDITIONS of the "American Idol"

After nine seasons of "American Idol" and after having thrown the spotlight, singers like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert, we will show you the bad side of this program, or rather, bad for our ears, because we laughed a lot with some people that think they know sing ...

Here are the 10 wackiest Auditions of the "American Idol" to date, according to billaboard:


10ยบ - Nick "Norman Gentle" Mitchell
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"/"Amazing Grace" - Season 8

Nick Mitchell, known to "Idol" fans as Norman Gentle, also burst onto the scene during Season 8 with his sparkly shirt and sweatband, flamboyant personality and diva-esque performances.
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9ยบ - Ryan "Screamo" Hart
"Smashed into Pieces" - Season 5
By the standards of hardcore, Ryan Hart's Season 5 audition wasn't half bad. The problem? He was trying out for "American Idol," a show that touts Mariah-like melismas over screamo screeches. Following his rejection, Randy did his own, chillingly accurate impression of Hart's screams. Hart probably isn't too hung up over his "Idol" audition infamy, though. He now sings in pop-punk band Damnear Divine, which has nearly 40,000 friends on MySpace.
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8ยบ - Trista "The Lion" Giese
"If I Were the King of the Forest" - Season 6
Before her audition, season 6's Trista Giese claimed that she could impersonate "the Lion" that is, the Cowardly Lion from "The Wizard of Oz." But when Seacrest pressed the 22-year-old to show us her talent, her impression came off more as Chewbacca than the Cowardly Lion.
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7ยบ - James "Go Deep" Lewis
"Go Down Moses" - Season 7
Before his audition, Philadelphia's James Lewis compared his voice to a mixture of Paul Robeson and Eddie Vedder. Turns out that if you mix those together, you get this hilariously bad audition from season 7.
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6ยบ - Ian "Carrie Under-Where?" Benardo
"Gloria" - Season 6
Anyone watching "Idol" during Season 6 knew this audition was a trainwreck waiting to happen, but as always, we couldn't look away. New York's Ian Benardo, who had previously appeared on "So You Think You Can Dance," decided to try out for "Idol," demanding camera attention almost immediately. However, when his performance of "Gloria" left much to be desired, Benardo went on a rampage. The singer is currently embroiled in a $100 million lawsuit with "Idol," claiming workplace discrimination.
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5ยบ - Renaldo "Simon-Lover" Lapuz
"We're Brothers Forever" - Season 7
In waltzed Renaldo Lapuz, extravagant in dress and with broken English, during season 7's Dallas auditions -- the rest, they say, is history. Lapuz, who four years prior had immigrated to the United States from the Philippines, was far over the "Idol" age cutoff of 28. And yet the man found his way to the audition and won over not only the judges' hearts, but those of viewers across the country. His original song, "We're Brothers Forever," while simplistic in its composition, was catchy enough to stay in one's head for days. And the best part? Not only was his song unifying, but Lapuz wasn't that bad a singer!
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4ยบ - Steven "Red" Thoen
"Bohemian Rhapsody" - Season
Steven "Red" Thoen claimed "Idol" dominance due to his ability to hit high-pitched notes and his namesake red hair. Instead, he came off as a real-life, red-haired Alan Garner ("The Hangover") and broke into a shaky falsetto for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
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3. Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell
"Vision of Love" - Season 8
Katrina Darrell may not exactly be a household name in "Idol" lore, but her nickname -- "Bikini Girl" -- sure is. Darrell sauntered into her Arizona audition clad in nothing but a swimsuit, hoping to impress the judges at least on her looks alone -- and judging by Simon's initial bug-eyed reaction, it worked.
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2ยบ - General Larry "Pants" Platt
"Pants on the Ground" - Season 9
Gen. Larry Platt may not have made it through to the Hollywood round of "Idol," but he came away with a song that charted on the Billboard Hot 100! The 62-year-old Platt's rendition of an original tune, "Pants on the Ground," spread like wildfire following its performance, rocketing the song to No. 46 on the Billboard charts. The tune's message -- berating hip-hop culture for its practice of sagging bottoms -- i.e., "wearing them pants on the ground." Platt was a hit with the judges -- particularly guest Mary J. Blige, who was in hysterics not ten seconds into the number. Preach it, General!
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1ยบ - William "She Bangs" Hung
"She Bangs" - Season 3
Some say they remember where they were when Michael Jackson passed away, or when the Red Sox won the World Series. Others may remember the moment they first heard William Hung. The holy grail of bad "Idol" auditions, Hung's Season 3 rendition of "She Bangs" is perhaps the only (relative) "Idol" success story from a contestant who didn't even make it to Hollywood. What added to the hilarity was not only his off-key singing, but his dance moves that inspired thousands. "You know, I have no professional training of singing and dancing," said Hung at the end of his performance. Shocker! And yet the now-28-year-old released three albums on Koch Records. How many "Idol" fans can say the same? Hmmm?


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January 19, 2011

THE WAY BACK (2011 FILM)

The Way Back is a war drama film about a group of prisoners who escape from a Siberian Gulag camp during World War II and their epic life affirming journey over thousands of miles across five hostile countries.

The film is directed by Peter Weir from a screenplay also by Weir and Keith Clarke, inspired by the The Long Walk, a book by Sล‚awomir Rawicz, a Polish POW in the Soviet Gulag.

It stars Jim Sturgess as Janusz, Colin Farrell as Valka, Ed Harris as Mr Smith, and also features Saoirse Ronan as Irena, Alexandru Potocean as Tamasz, Sebastian Urzendowsky as Kazik, Gustaf Skarsgรฅrd as Voss, DragoลŸ Bucur as Zoran and Mark Strong as Khabarov.

Release Date: 21 Jan. 2011
Running Time: 133mins.


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The LARGEST BLACK HOLE Ever

A giant black hole weighing a staggering 6.6 billion suns accepted the title of the most massive black hole for which a precise mass has been determined.

That’s not to say it’s necessarily the largest black hole in the universe by any means, but in this neck of the cosmic woods we haven’t measured a bigger one. Located at the heart of the galaxy M87 some 50 million light years away in the direction of Virgo, the black hole is so big it could swallow our solar system hole easily.

Previous estimates of M87’s black hole mass registered at some 3 billion suns, still 1,000 times the size of the Milky Way’s welterweight black hole. The new measurements were acquired using the adaptive optics capabilities on the 26.6-foot Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which can compensate for the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere. This allowed astronomers to gauge just how fast the stars in M87 are orbiting the black hole, and from that they could determine the mass.

Whether M87’s black hole achieved its mass fairly or not, it may not hold the heavyweight title for very long anyhow. Over the next decade astronomers plan to hook up telescopes all over the world to create a whole Earth submillimeter array that will vastly increase their ability to locate event horizons and characterize the size of black holes throughout the universe.

We’d be surprised if there wasn’t some young black hole out there right now devouring its surroundings and merging with smaller counterparts in hopes of one day unseating the champ.

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January 18, 2011

Madrid man builds CATHEDRAL FROM TRASH

It's the sheer size of the structure that first strikes you. Almost 40 metres (131ft) tall, its spires and giant dome tower over the surrounding apartment blocks in this Madrid suburb.

Justo Gallego or Don Justo, as he's known, embarked on his epic endeavour almost half a century ago and now with 85 years old, he still has a huge amount to do.

After leaving life as a farmer to become a Benedictine Monk, Don Justo came down with tuberculosis which forced him out of the monastery in a greatly weakened state. He promised himself that if he survived he would erect a church dedicated to the Lady of The Pillar who he prayed to during that turbulent time.

Justo Gallego has been working on the massive undertaking nearly single-handedly, even so, he's on site by 6am each day.

The massive undertaking is built almost entirely from local materials that he is able to salvage, and now topped out at 131 feet the cathedral just needs a few finishing touches, like a roof, some windows and permits. The vast central dome took 20 years to erect and there are two dozen more incomplete cupolas around the building.
So far, the town council has tolerated the illicit structure, which lures a steady trickle of visitors to the nondescript suburb. Some suspect the chaotically-constructed church will not outlast its creator.

"It's very difficult to get a license now," says Pablo Queralto, an architect working for Mejorada council. "For example the bricks don't meet minimum standards, either in themselves or the way they've been laid."

But he described the eccentric edifice as an icon of the town now, unlikely to be torn down.

We hope so...





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January 17, 2011

GOLDEN GLOBE 2011: AWARDS

The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais.

The nominations were announced on December 14, 2010, by Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and Blair Underwood.

Robert De Niro was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures. The Social Network won four awards, the most of any film including best drama. It beat British historical tale The King's Speech which had entered the awards ceremony with the most nominations but collected just one award. 

Meet The Winners:

Best Motion Picture, Drama
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Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
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Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
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Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
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 Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy
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Best Director - Motion Picture
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Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
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Best Actor in a Television Series,
Comedy or Musical
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Best Actress in a Television Series,
 Comedy or Musical
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Best Foreign Language Film
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Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
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Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
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 Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
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Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
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Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy
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Best Animated Feature Film
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 Best Original Score - Motion Picture
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 Best Original Song - Motion Picture
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Best Television Series, Drama

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Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama
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Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
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Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

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