Your Highness offers plenty of sword and sorcery action, explosive special effects, and bloody battles with towering beasts and hellish wizards. Too bad the film so desperately wants to be a comedy. While there are some genuinely funny moments, the vulgarities and obscenities tire quickly with their incessant usage and the colorfully inauthentic medieval speak can only carry the humor so far. It's a unique blend, but ultimately an unbalanced one, as the flashy action sequences provide far more entertainment than the scattering of silly slapstick gags and inane ramblings of rivalrous siblings. an action fantasy film with a little humor, or a flat-out comedy set in the world of knights in shining armor would have been preferable, but the fifty-fifty split only manages to satisfy half the time.

Constantly overshadowed by the chivalrous actions of his brother Prince Fabious (James Franco), disgruntled scoundrel Thadeous (Danny McBride) vents his frustrations by blundering simple diplomatic assignments, indulging in too many spirits, and berating his aide Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker). But when Fabious' new bride Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) is kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Leezar (Justin Theroux), Thadeous is forced to tag along on his very first quest. Encountering a perverted yet wise magus, bare-breasted jungle savages, and the fiercely driven warrior woman Isabel (Natalie Portman), Thadeous must learn to play the role of a valiant knight – and when Fabious is captured by Leezar, the bumbling prince might just become a hero as well.

Your Highness doesn't offer up any surprises. It's a stoner comedy fused with a swords-and-sorcery epic, replete with riddles, mythological monsters, warlocks, riddles, a labyrinth, helpless virgins and colorful magic. Knights in shining armor rescue damsels in distress in an adventure to vanquish a mighty sorcerer. they do, however, creatively curse with the most anachronously silly language. nearly every line of McBride's dialogue ends with crassness, which manages a genuine laugh only the first few times. Sourpuss, Duh, Nice, and most of the profanity offers a simpering touch rarely seen in period-piece comedies.

Unlike Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the special effects-laden action is of the caliber and quantity of a serious production, contributing to the same difficulties found with Pineapple Express – it's a stoner comedy with too much focus on the companion genre. it seems confused whether it wants to be a joke or an action film. Fortunately, your Highness features a pleasing opening title sequence reminiscent of a Disneyland ride, sibling rivalry bested only by a good smoke, goofy supporting characters (many included for a single gag, then disposed of), and Natalie Portman, who proves her acting chops in a new light: she must recite achingly asinine lines while keeping a straight face. At least the specialization in awkward situations and embarrassing encounters reigns supreme in a bawdy road trip quest with a few thrillingly fun medieval skirmishes.

- The Massie Twins ( GoneWithTheTwins.com )

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• Reviewed: Your Highness [2011]
• Blu-ray Review: Your Highness is Witty and Smart – The TMR Zoo
• Movies Coming in April 2011

CINCINNATI — Envision this as Reds Spring Training opens in Arizona this weekend: Mat Latos, meet Johnny Cueto. Ryan Madson and Sean Marshall? Welcome, and this is Nick Masset. Jay Bruce, say hello to your new teammate, Ryan Ludwick. The several new faces on the Reds for 2012 aren't just fresh bodies or guys filling up roster spots. They collectively make a statement that Cincinnati is a club that's all in for trying to win back the National League Central. "I'm very happy," Reds manager Dusty Baker said late last month. "These are the most moves, combined, in an offseason since I've been here." Some of the moves came at a steep price. To acquire Latos and Marshall, general manager Walt Jocketty dealt away six prospects, including talented young players like Yonder Alonso and Travis Wood. Jocketty's additions of Latos addressed the top of the rotation. Madson, the new closer, and Marshall as a lefty setup man bolstered the back end of the bullpen. Ludwick can compete for the left field job or be a fourth outfielder that provides power from the bench. Utility players Wilson Valdez and Willie Harris provide more infield depth. The Reds didn't have to make all of the moves themselves to improve their chances in the division. Some things out of their control just worked in their favor. The Cardinals bid goodbye to Albert Pujols as a free agent and to manager Tony La Russa in retirement. The Brewers also lost Prince Fielder to free agency and are bracing for a potential 50-game suspension on Ryan Braun because of a positive drug test. For a team that won 79 games last season and is possibly living on borrowed time with stars like Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, the future has to be now for the Reds. Votto can be a free agent in two years. Phillips can be a free agent next winter. "I feel much better with our club going to Spring Training now than at the end of last season," Jocketty said on Tuesday. "We feel this is an important year to win for a lot of reasons. These moves and decisions we made aren't only for the short term, but the long term."

Pitchers and catchers report

Feb. 19

Full squad reports

Feb. 24

First Spring Training game

Reds vs. Indians, March 3, 3:05 p.m. ET

Opening Day

Reds vs. Marlins, April 5, 4:10 p.m. ET

Triple play: Three questions that need answers

1. Who will comprise the back of the rotation? The Reds have seven starters vying for five spots, but realistically have three guys battling to be the fifth man. Cueto, Latos and Bronson Arroyo are locks for the top three spots and Homer Bailey is a good bet to take the fourth spot. That leaves Mike Leake, Aroldis Chapman and free-agent signee Jeff Francis to compete. Leake led the Reds in wins and strikeouts last season and seems to have the inside track. Chapman is trying to make the transition from late-inning reliever to starter and might need more time in Triple-A to sharpen up. Francis is the long shot, but provides depth in case of injuries. 2. Is Devin Mesoraco ready? Mesoraco, the Reds' No. 1 prospect, batted .180 as a September callup last season but earned high marks for his catching skills and ability to work with pitchers. The club showed its commitment to him by letting quality veteran Ramon Hernandez move on as a free agent. Mesoraco will likely split catching duties with veteran Ryan Hanigan in some sort of hybrid-platoon. 3. Will Brandon Phillips get his contract extension? This type of question is normally of the Hot Stove variety, but it has spilled into a plot line for camp. Phillips, who is playing out the $12 million option year of his current deal, has been trying to get a long-term contract with the Reds since last season. He can become a first-time free agent after the 2012 season. For whatever the reason, the two sides have yet to reach an accord. "I think this could go on for a while," Jocketty said on Tuesday. 2011 record79-83, third place in the NL CentralProjected batting order1. 2B Brandon Phillips:  .300 BA, .353 OBP, .457 SLG, 18 HR, 82 RBIs in 20112. SS Zack Cozart:  .324 BA, .324 OBP, .486 SLG, 2 HR, 3 RBIs in 20113. 1B Joey Votto:  .309 BA, .416 OBP, .531 SLG, 29 HR, 103 RBIs in 20114. 3B Scott Rolen:  .242 BA, .279 OBP, .397 SLG, 5 HR, 36 RBIs in 20115. RF Jay Bruce:  .256 BA, .341 OBP, .474 SLG, 32 HR, 97 RBIs in 20116. CF Drew Stubbs:  .243 BA, .321 OBP, .364 SLG, 15 HR, 44 RBIs in 20117. LF Chris Heisey:  .254 BA, .309 OBP, .487 SLG, 18 HR, 50 RBIs in 20118. C Devin Mesoraco:  .180 BA, .226 OBP, .360 SLG, 2 HR, 6 RBIs in 2011 Projected rotation1. Johnny Cueto, 9-5, 2.31 ERA in 2011 2. Mat Latos, 9-14, 3.47 ERA in 2011 (with Padres) 3. Bronson Arroyo, 9-12, 5.07 ERA in 2011 4. Homer Bailey, 9-7, 4.43 ERA in 2011 5. Mike Leake, 12-9, 3.86 ERA in 2011 Projected bullpenCloser: Ryan Madson, 32/34 saves, 2.37 ERA in 2011 (with Phillies)RH setup man: Nick Masset, 3.71 ERA in 2011LH setup man: Sean Marshall, 2.26 ERA in 2011 (with Cubs) The new guys RHP Mat Latos: Badly wanting an improved top end of the rotation, the Reds paid a big price to acquire Latos from the Padres. They gave up elite prospects Alonso, Brad Boxberger and Yasmani Grandal along with 2011 Opening Day starter Edinson Volquez. Latos is only 24 with plenty of upside and a great array of stuff, but he didn't have a great 2011. He will also have to make the transition from a pitcher's park like Petco to a hitter's one in Great American Ball Park. RHP Ryan Madson: One of the best closers on the free-agent market was still around until mid-January and essentially landed in the Reds' lap on a bargain one-year contract that pays him $6 million for 2012 with some money deferred. Madson was strong in his first full year as a closer for the Phillies and is used to pitching in a small stadium after calling Citizens Bank Park home. LHP Sean Marshall: The Reds also gave up a lot to get Marshall as they sent Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt and Minor Leaguer Ronald Torreyes to the Cubs to acquire the lefty. Marshall, 29, has been one of baseball's best relievers lately, with a 2.45 ERA in 158 appearances over 2010-2011. OF Ryan Ludwick: The Reds are hoping Ludwick finds his power stroke again after some rough times with the Padres and Pirates. In 160 games spread over the parts of two seasons with the Padres, he batted .228 with 17 homers and 90 RBIs. Of course, it's not easy for hitters to go deep at Petco. With St. Louis in 2008, he had 37 homers and 113 RBIs. INF Wilson Valdez: A lifetime .243 hitter, the 33-year-old Valdez is known more for his glove than his bat. But he will provide some veteran insurance at shortstop and can play around the infield. INF/OF Willie Harris: Another utility player that can play all three outfield spots, second base and third base. A left-handed hitter on a Minor League deal seeking a roster spot, Harris is a lifetime .240 hitter with a .330 on-base percentage, but he also has defensive credentials. LHP Jeff Francis: Added for extra rotation depth, just in case, the 30-year-old Francis was 6-16 with a 4.82 ERA in 31 starts last season with the Royals. From 2004-10, he was with the Rockies and was a 17-game winner in 2007. Prospects to watch SS Zack Cozart: The first impression in the big leagues was a strong one, but way too brief. Cozart batted .324 in 11 games during his first callup before a left elbow injury from a collision required Tommy John surgery and ended his season prematurely. Considered ready to go after rehabilitation, the 26-year-old Cozart has the inside track to start at shortstop. 3B Juan Francisco: No one questions the left-handed power that Francisco has, but this could be an important spring. Francisco is out of options and trying to land a spot on the bench behind Scott Rolen. Injuries prevented Francisco from stepping up for an also injured Rolen last season. He showed some improvement defensively after his return late last season. INF/OF Todd Frazier: Although he batted .232 in 41 games in the big leagues, Frazier can play around the infield and outfield. He came on stronger as a hitter in September and will be in a dogfight to land one of the final roster spots. 1B Neftali Soto: With Alonso traded, Soto becomes the first baseman in waiting behind Joey Votto. Soto isn't quite Major League ready, however. He spent most of the 2011 season at Double-A Carolina and finished at Triple-A Louisville. The 22-year-old led all Reds Minor Leaguers with 31 homers while batting .278 with 80 RBIs and a .333 on-base percentage. OF Denis Phipps: Added to the 40-man roster after last season, Phipps was the organization's Minor League hitter of the year in 2011. He batted a combined .346/.397/.527 at Double-A and Triple-A with 12 homers and 64 RBIs. On the rebound 3B Scott Rolen: Rolen, who turns 37 on April 4, missed most of the second half last season after he had left shoulder surgery, and batted only .242 in 2011. His presence was greatly missed and will be needed to help the Reds contend. This is the final year of Rolen's contract as well. CF Drew Stubbs: It was a very trying 2011 for Stubbs, who struck out a club-record 205 times while becoming only the second Major Leaguer to ever cross the 200-strikeout plateau. The club is hoping Stubbs can avoid the prolonged slumps that dogged him and forced a move down from the leadoff spot in the batting order. RHP Bronson Arroyo: After coming down with mononucleosis in Spring Training last year, Arroyo often wasn't his usual self, especially early on, and lacked velocity. He gave up a club-record 46 home runs, and with 199 innings pitched, just missed extending a 200-inning season streak that started in 2005. INF Chris Valaika It was an offseason of rehabilitation for Valaika, who needed surgery after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a game vs. the Rockies on Sept. 11. He is expected to be 100 percent for camp and will also compete for a roster spot. Long gone RHP Francisco Cordero: After he amassed 150 saves over four seasons in Cincinnati, a new contract could not be worked out with the free-agent closer. Cordero, who sought a multiyear deal that could possibly finish his career with the Reds, settled for a one-year, $4.5 million contract to be a setup man for the Blue Jays. C Ramon Hernandez: Following three productive seasons behind the plate, the Reds moved on from the veteran Hernandez to make room for Mesoraco. Hernandez signed a two-year, $6.4 million contract with the Rockies. 1B/OF Yonder Alonso: Part of the trade that brought Latos to the Reds, Alonso is now the Padres' new first baseman. RHP Edinson Volquez: Also joining Alonso in San Diego, Volquez was the biggest disappointment for the Reds in 2011. He was inconsistent and needed two stints at Triple-A. He will try to find himself again out west and try to become the 17-game winner he was for Cincinnati in 2008. LHP Travis Wood: Like Volquez, was unexpectedly disappointing in 2011 and did not step up after a strong rookie season in 2010. Wood was traded to the Cubs as part of the Marshall deal. SS Edgar Renteria: Still a free agent, Renteria did not provide a strong return in general on the one-year, $3 million contract he signed last winter. LHP Dontrelle Willis: Signed one year, $850,000 contract with the Phillies. LHP Matt Maloney: Claimed off waivers by the Twins.

New-look Reds are ready to roll in the NL Central

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• 2011 Cincinnati Reds Season Preview and Predictions
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• Cincinnati Reds Team Report

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — When gas prices go up, it affects individual consumers and businesses, but small businesses often get hit hardest.

That's because they typically don't have the big cash reserves that would help them deal with increases in the cost of doing business. It's especially true for businesses that depend on gasoline as an everyday expense.

For a moving company to move, the moving trucks need fuel, and even a small independent company like Remington Moving and Storage in Gardena uses a lot of fuel.

"We're filling up 4- to 5,000 gallons a week, so it's a pretty big deal for us," said Noah Davis of Remington Moving and Storage.

Davis said the recent spike in fuel costs has taken a bite of out his company's bottom line, increasing operating costs by at least 30 percent.

"Most companies do have a fuel surcharge. We have been really resisting to do that," Davis said.

Davis says it's an industry-wide issue, with moving companies finding new ways to cut costs.

"The only thing we can do is we manage our routes better," Davis said.

In Los Angeles, taxi cab drivers are independent contractors. That means drivers like Leon Slomovic pay for gas out of their own pocket.

"It's just sort of the straw that breaks the camel's back," Slomovic said.

The rates for cab fares are set by the city, and the last rate increase was in 2008, when gas was about $3 a gallon.

Yet there are other local businessmen with a far different perspective. Greg Palmer, who runs a fire sprinkler testing company based in Burbank, said compared to fuel costs in his native England, Americans have it good.

"Gas is a tremendous bargain in America," Palmer said.

The Automobile Club says gas prices In Southern California have reached their highest levels in nine months, with no relief in sight. According to AAA, Wednesday's average in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $4.11 for a gallon of regular – that's a 3-cent jump in one day.

(Copyright ©2012 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Get more Save Money / Consumer News »

gas price, save money / consumer news, robert holguin

Small businesses hit hard by high gas prices

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Thicke was said to be very cooperative with the NYPD. He even gave them autographs and took pictures with them before he was given a ticket and released. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised he got caught, since Robin is a known fan of drugs. He said in a December radio interview, "Let's just put it this way, I've never met a drug that I didn't like." Hmm, sounds like maybe it's time for his dad, Alan Thicke, to step up and give the 34-year-old a Growing Pains-style lecture about not breaking the law—or at least not being dumb enough to get caught. [Reuters, OMG!]

Here is an extremely detailed account of how Aretha Franklin reacted when she found out that Whitney Houston, her goddaughter, had died. She was in a hotel room in Charlotte, North Carolina, watching The Descendants when she got the news: "Maybe two minutes after I [turned off the movie], it came across the screen. I jumped up off the side of the bed … I just said, 'Oh my God. That's not good.'" It's too bad she had to find out from the TV. [People]

Speaking of Whitney, there is a wake for her being held tonight, in advance of tomorrow's funeral. Apparently hundreds of fans have already lined the streets near the funeral home and the church where the memorial is set to take place. [E!]

Reese Witherspoon reports that she was insanely nervous to meet Kate Middleton this summer when the Princess visited California. She told Ellen Degeneres the story of attending a fundraiser with the famous Royal:

My husband just thought I was so dorky. He was like, "Why are you so excited?" I must of tried on like six outfits. I'm meeting a princess! You don't understand. You have to be wearing the right outfit and the whole thing.

Deep breaths, Reese. She also said she'd like to "hang out with" the Princess more often but she isn't sure if Kate feels the same way. Girl crush alert! [OMG!]

Stalking is never funny, but at least Kenny Chesney's stalker was nice enough to bring some wine when she broke into his Tennessee property. After an alarm call summoned police to his house, they found Melissa Carol Mansfield sitting in the "backyard restroom," which sounds an awful lot like an outhouse, drinking said wine and smoking a cigarette. Well, at least she's the polite kind of stalker. She's was arrested and is being charged with public intoxication and criminal trespassing. [E!]

Would Robert Pattinson ever reprise his Twilight role if Stephanie Meyer wrote more books? He says he's worried he'd be too ancient: "I'd be curious what Stephenie would write, but I just think I'd probably be too old. I'm already too old. But yeah, it'd be kind of interesting." Wait, I thought RPatz was ageless and immortal? [OMG!]

Robin Thicke Got Arrested for Smoking Pot in His Escalade

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Courtesy of the Kent Reporter:

A Federal Way man was among 20 people arrested and charged for drug trafficking Wednesday as part of coordinated raids by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement agencies in the Seattle and San Francisco Bay area.

The arrests followed a lengthy investigation into a cocaine, meth and heroin trafficking ring that stretched from San Francisco to Vancouver, British Columbia, said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan in a U.S. Department of Justice media release.

The 20 people were arrested and charged for various federal crimes including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and/or conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Authorities identified the Federal Way man as Juan Siquiero-Gonzalez, 33.

The investigation, which utilized court-authorized wire taps, revealed how the conspirators allegedly brought multi-kilo loads of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine into the Seattle area from California, and distributed it in Western Washington, or sent it north into Canada.

Most of the defendants taken into custody Wednesday were scheduled to make their initial appearance on the charges Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Search warrants were executed Wednesday on 18 residences or businesses and multiple vehicles. Law enforcement seized 24 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine and $35,000 in cash. Over the course of the DEA and Seattle Police Department investigation, law enforcement seized more than $700,000 in cash, 11 kilos of cocaine, 40 pounds of methamphetamine, and four firearms.

“Organizations that think we cannot track their crimes across borders are wrong," Durkan said. "We will use all of our tools to shut down their operations and seize their profits. I commend the tremendous collaboration by federal, state and local law enforcement in disrupting this drug ring.”

Matthew G. Barnes, DEA special agent in charge, described one of the busts.

"Over 24 pounds of methamphetamine was seized from one vehicle in this investigation, which has an estimated street value of over $1 million,” Barnes said. “This investigation illustrates the defendants’ ill-will and disregard for our community. I want to commend the professionalism and commitment of the Seattle Police Department and the other agencies involved.”

Seattle Police Chief John Diaz praised the coordinated work of multiple agencies.

“Working together with our federal law enforcement partners in the DEA and other local agencies, we were able to intercept a significant amount of dangerous drugs before they hit Seattle streets," Diaz said in the media release. "It is noteworthy that this operation was made possible due to information obtained during a routine 'buy-bust' conducted by Seattle Police officers and detectives. This is another example of how ordinary police work combined with law enforcement partnerships can yield exceptional results.”

The raids were part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved.

In addition to DEA and the Seattle Police Department, the following agencies provided substantial assistance:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Eastside Narcotics Task Force, King County Sheriff’s Office, Kirkland Police Department, Lynnwood Police Department, Monroe Police Department, Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force and Washington Department of Corrections.

Those charged include:

Jose Rodriguez-Rivera, 38, Lynnwood

Juan Siquiero-Gonzalez, 33, Federal Way

Luis Orozco-Lopez, 21, Sedro-Woolley

Uriel Amin Martinez-Botello, 31, Everett

Hugo Gomez-Barrada, 29, Seattle

Lorenzo Rodriguez-Rivera, 35, Mountlake Terrace

Elmer Alvarez-Ochoa, 39, Lynnwood

Ramon Barrera, 35, Mountlake Terrace

Pedro Lopez, 38, Seattle

Jose Rodriquez-Lujan, 36, Kent

Mario Gamiz-Yescas, 33, Kirkland

Gerson Fletes-Ramos, 30, Shoreline

Dagoberto Herrera-Avila, 37, Sea-Tac

Javier Cabrera-Arteaga, 26, Shoreline

Manuel Mejia-Garay, 32, Seattle

Enrique Munoz-Andres, 32, Pacific

Juan Gomez-Diaz, 37, Des Moines,

Timothy Rishor, 36, Edmonds

Joshua Abellera, 37, Shoreline

Mayra Mendez-Rodriguez, 28, Mountlake Terrace

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Founding place: South Norwalk, Connecticut,USA

Founding Year: 1975 Founders: Peter Dooney and Frederic Bourke

Current Headquarters: Regent Street, Norwalk, CT,USA 06855

Donney & Bourke has been dedicated to manufacture high-quality leather goods for women at reasonable price since its foundation by Peter Dooney and Frederic Bourke in 1975. in past 35 years, a series of fashion accessories have been presented, including purses, bags, luggage, briefcase, watches even Ipod cases. There are also less famous collections of ready-to-wears, hats, and shoes. most of products are designed for women, but several new lines for men have cut a figure since 2000 especially for shoes. Throughout the years, D&B is recognized as a mid-level brand, for most its products are retailed at from 20600 dollars which is every attractive for cost-conscious fashionistas and young professionals. in recent years, D&B starts to focus on high profile customers with several exclusive collections.

Dooney & Bourke Handbag was first introduced in 1981 with D&B Tack Case and the D&B Equestrian Bag. both are interestingly made from bridle leather. in 1983, the famous AWL Bag (All-Weather Leather) hit the markets with the iconic design of a duck logo with a russet leather trim. in 2006, the release of Emma Bag, a small oval purse named after Emma Roberts, helped the company regain public attention. in the next year, Hayden Panettiere a leading actress from TV show Heroes designed her own D&B bag collection including the Hayden bag and Chiarra Patent leather Bag. Lots of celebrities have been endorsed for D&B such as Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan, and Michelle Trachtenberg.

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We were slightly less impressed with the Eee Pad Slider, but appreciated the variation on the Android tablet/keyboard combo design.

Now Asus has taken the two-part Transformer to the next level, adding a quad-core processor — the first to appear in any Android-based device —and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) into the mix. The result is the very impressive Transformer Prime.

Design As a tablet, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime is inevitably going to be compared to Apple's iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, as well as to its predecessor. It comes off well in all cases.

The Transformer Prime is a 10.1in. Android tablet with a quad-core CPU and a keyboard unit that turns it into a clamshell notebook

Weighing 586g, the Transformer Prime shaves almost 100g off the 680g Transformer, comes very close to the 565g Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and is lighter than the 613g iPad 2 (Wi-Fi+3G version).

The Prime's measurments — 26.3cm by 18.08cm by 0.83cm — are significantly more svelte than the original Transformer's 27.1cm by 17.1cm by 1.3cm. It's also slimmer than both the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (0.86cm) and the iPad 2 (0.88cm). You should find it comfortable enough to hold the Transformer Prime in one hand for extended periods.

The metal backplate has a slightly purple sheen, which continues on both sides of the keyboard section. The edges curve slightly towards the backplate, adding to its sleek appearance. It does make finding the edge connectors and buttons a little awkward, though — you have to twist the tablet to find slots.

The slots and connectors are in slightly different positions compared to the original Eee Pad Transformer. Holding the Transformer Prime in landscape mode (with the 1.2-megapixel camera above the screen), there's an audio jack on the right edge. The power button sits on the left side of the top edge, while the left edge houses a volume rocker, a micro-HDMI port and a microSD card slot. There's a 40-pin connector on the bottom edge that's used for PC sync, connecting to the keyboard section and charging the battery.

It's a real pity that there's no USB charge slot on the tablet — or on the keyboard section. This is the same situation as with the original Transformer, and it means you have to carry a dedicated AC adapter when travelling. These days that's not really acceptable.

The LED-backlit Super IPS+ screen measures 10.1in. across the diagonal and has a resolution of 1,280 by 800 pixels. It uses tough scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, but — like all tablet screens — attracts fingerprints and will need a regular wipe. The image quality is clear, sharp and vibrant, with excellent viewing angles. Watching video and reading web pages on the Transformer Prime is a particularly pleasant experience. It's also easily viewable outside, which is not always the case with tablets.

As well as the 1.2-megapixel front camera there's a flash-equipped 8-megapixel camera at the back. It'll shoot 1080p HD video too — most good tablets (and smartphones) can only manage 720p. Our test images were of a quality we'd happily share with other people.

The keyboard unit is as thin and light as the tablet measuring 26.3cm by 18.08cm by 0.8–1.04cm and weighing 537g. It's made of the same metal as the tablet's backplate, and has the same purple sheen.

The keyboard itself is an isolation-style design, with a full set of QWERTY keys and a number row. The keyboard is comfortable to use, although we'd prefer a little more return from the keys. Above the number row further keys provide Android-specific shortcuts for screen brightness, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, taking a screen grab, volume control and media playback.

There are Home, Menu and cursor keys, and a multitouch trackpad that controls a cursor on all screens as well as handling functions like text selection and tap-to-zoom. Generally you don't need to tap the screen with the Transformer Prime in notebook mode.

That's a good thing, because —like its predecessor — the Prime is not weighted like a standard notebook, and suffers from a propensity to topple backwards when you tap the screen.

Tiny arrows on the keyboard and tablet help you line up the docking port, and as you push the two halves together the locking mechanism slips in place firmly. When joined, the two sections look as though they belong together, and the general look-and-feel is that of a small ultrabook.

The keyboard has a USB 2.0 port and SD card reader on its right edge. The USB stick we tried worked flawlessly. A 40-pin charging/PC connection port sits on the left edge. The keyboard contains a second battery, which we'll come to later.

Features The standout technical features of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime have to be that it has a 1.3GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Anyone buying the device running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) will be able to get an upgrade. Our review sample was running Android 4.0 and had 1GB of RAM.

The Transformer Prime runs version 4.0 of Android (Ice Cream Sandwich)

The processor has a trick up its sleeve designed to help conserve battery power: it has a fifth core that runs at a much slower speed — just 500MHz — and handles 'tick-over'-style activities with minimal power draw. You can also choose between power-save, balanced and performance CPU modes.

Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth (2.1+EDR) and GPS are present, but there's a notable absence of mobile broadband support. For some potential buyers, this may prove to be a glaring omission.

Our review model had 32GB of internal storage, 25GB was available out of the box. You can add more capacity via microSD, SD and USB using the various ports. You also get access to 8GB of online storage via Asus WebStorage.

Asus has provided a number of extra apps suitable for a tablet with a well-integrated keyboard.

Polaris Office lets you create and edit Microsoft Office-compatible files

Polaris Office is a useful tool for creating files that are compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. An additional note-taking application, SuperNote, offers two data-entry options: typing and freehand writing; or drawing with paint tools. You can insert drawn pages into text-based pages.

Other applications include MyLibrary for reading e-texts, and MyNet for sharing music, photos and video via DLNA. There's also the TegraZone app, which aggregates a range of games that make the most of Nvidia's Tegra processors. Finally, you get the full Android Market and a competent file manager.

Performance & battery life The Eee Pad Transformer Prime's 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor offers absolutely stunning response times — most of the time. Screen taps produced an almost instantaneous response; screen rotation was swift too. But not everything was lightning fast: Google Maps took a while to resolve full screen, and flicking between web pages was slower than we'd anticipated. Still, there was nothing in the performance here that we couldn't live with.

Audio quality is surprisingly good. Although there's only a single speaker on the back of the tablet, audio output is fairly loud and reasonably punchy. Plug in a good pair of headphones and the sound quality is perfectly acceptable for everyday use.

According to Asus, the tablet's 25Wh Li-polymer battery is good for 12 hours of life. The keyboard adds a second 22Wh battery, which Asus claims can boost this to 18 hours. That's two hours more than the original the Eee Pad Transformer.

We tested these claims by looping music continuously with and without the keyboard attached. In both cases we set the processor to Balanced mode (as opposed to power save and performance modes) and the screen brightness at 50 percent. We had Wi-Fi on throughout the test.

In tablet only mode we got 7 hours 58 minutes of music playback. When the battery was drained we attached the tablet to the keyboard which we'd previously fully charged. This delivered a further 5 hours 36 minutes, for a total of 13h 34m.

Interestingly, while the keyboard battery was being used, it was also charging the tablet section. When the keyboard had drained itself to zero the tablet had raised itself to 30 percent. In our test, we left the keyboard and tablet attached while this last 30 percent was used and it's recorded in the keyboard-attached time above. This is a great feature, as it meant we could have removed the tablet for a bit of keyboard-free use had we wanted to.

Conclusion Like its Transformer predecessor, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime impressed us greatly. Quite simply, it's the best marriage of screen and keyboard we've seen in a tablet.

The quad-core Tegra 3 processor is no gimmick: its extra speed and punch gives the Transformer Prime professional-level performance. Battery life is excellent too, and we like the way the keyboard charges a drained tablet unit.

Unfortunately, Google's Android still lacks the business software to be a professional's primary operating system, and the Transformer Prime is an expensive second computer. However, if you're primarily looking for a tablet, and value the Prime's enhanced ability to create and edit documents, it's a compelling prospect.

Editor's note 3/2/2012 A leading retailer, Clove Technology, has withdrawn the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime from sale, explaining in a statement that "We are at this time not satisfied that all units we could provide you with are working correctly, and performing to the standard we expect of the unit." See our blog post for more on this issue.

Audio Audio input microphone Audio output speaker, stereo headset Voice recording capability Yes Connectivity / expansion Docking cradle Yes Wired connections proprietary docking connector, USB 2.0, micro-HDMI Wireless PAN Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Wireless LAN 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n GPS receiver yes Expansion slots microSD (on tablet), SD (on keyboard dock) Display Display type TFT Display size 10.1 in Native resolution 1280×800 pixels General Built-in devices camera, GPS receiver, keyboard Dimensions (W x H x D) 263×8.3×180.8 mm Weight 586 g Input devices Touchscreen Yes Keyboard Yes Memory Memory expansion MicroSD, SD/MMC Installed ROM 32768 MB Installed RAM 1024 MB Miscellaneous Accessories AC adapter Cables 40-pin docking connector to USB 2.0 OS & software Software included Android 4.0, Asus launcher, MyLibrary, MyNet, MyCloud, @Vibe Music, asus webstorage, File manager, Asus sync, SuperNote, App Locker, App Backup, TegraZone, Polaris Office Power Battery type Li-polymer Number of batteries 2 Claimed battery life 18 h Processor Processor Nvidia Tegra 3 Clock speed 1333 MHz Expand « Previous Photo 1 of 4 Next »

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Review

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Grade 9, Distinguished Honors

Benjamin Anderson, Kaitlyn Andrews, Emily Bichard, Alycia Bishop, Bryce Carroll, Nathanael Curry, Aubrey Davis, Hannah Dunlap, Jordyn Fink, Benjamin Fleming, Shannon Ford, Samuel Geiser, Jeremiah Gilbert, Devon Hake, Bailey Hentz, Bryson Herb, Elizabeth Horn, Douglas Hyde, Ericka Kauffman, Molly Kellam, Elijah Lazar, Rachel Lippy, Logan Mabus, Garrett Mixon, Sierra Patterson, Austin Sachs, Kennedy Shank, McKenzie Shank, Mariah Shope, Keith Steele, Stephanie Strock, Austin Tamba, Paige Tamecki, Jeannine Webb, Matthew Whitesel, Kierra Zack, Megan Zagoric and Zachary Zinn.

Grade 10, Distinguished Honors

Sydney Archuleta, Jack Armstrong, Samantha Barnes, Madison Bleiler, Jordan Bodisch, Ryan Boucher, Patrick Daggs, Alicia David, Joseph DeLuca, Kyle Doll, Jason Emig, Justin Gasswint, Jennifer Halterman, Sarah Hannigan, Rachel Hawkins, Brandon Heller, Amber Hoover, Justin Jaquette, Sharon Kauffman, Rebecca Kimmel, Trevor Kline, Myesha Long, Hannah Mabus, Zachary Martick, Elise McAneny, Christina McCown, Katelyn McGlynn, Jared Meck, Angela Mikos, Kevin Millar, Erin Monko, Rebekah Mull, Alexis Munshower, Matthew Nielsen, Emily Noll, Jacob O'Neal, Brett Paré, Nilkanth Patel, Matthew Printz, Emily Caitlin Reeder, Haley Robyak, Elijah Schaefer, Ryan Schreiber, Brooke Sheibley, Claire Shook, Abigail Smith, Allison Speese, Roy Stetler, Ashley Stough, Jason Swartz, Jessica Ulrich, Caroline VanPelt, Jared Whitesel, Megan Wilson, Daniel Wirth, Felicia Yocum and Sara Yunez.

Grade 11, Distinguished Honors

Jylaina Albert, Kendra Alleman, Darby Anderson, Luke Aumen, Lyndsay Aumiller, Jason Barbaretta, Brandy Barnes, Skylor Behney, Courtney Benson, Benjamin Blemler, Janelle Brassel, Cody Bream, Evan Brubaker, Rachael Chopka, Chelsey Clark, Jamie Crain, Alexander Crisamore, Nathan Deardorff, Victoria Decker, Gregory Dederer, Tanner Dixon, Andrew Foose, Connor Foschi, Kimberly Fox, Aryelle Franklin, Michaela Ginder, Emma Gingrich, Hayly Hoch, Cameron Hoffman, Sarah Horvath, Casey Jones, Olivia Kimmel, Katherine Knight, Samantha Latchaw, Stachia Lippy, Jordan Lockhart, Nicholas Lodovici, Gordon McCann, Paige Mixon, Joshua Myers, Theron Peters, Jessica Raboci, Bradley Reed, Kevin Reeder, Shea Regan, Shelby Rocco, Lisa Roth, Janaya Sachs, Mikayla Sandner, Emily Sasso, Travis Saylor, Andrew Sheffer, Taylor Sheibley, Alexis Shovel, Joshua Smeltzer, Allison Spoonhour, Kelsey Sterner, Andrew Swivel, Collin Thomas, Randall Violette, Annemarie Webb, Emily Wells, Abigail Wenger, Michelle Yeager, Trevor Zack, John Zook and Matthew Zook.

Grade 12, Distinguished Honors

Meggan Arnold, Sierra Baer, Ashlyne Baim, Lauren Berry, Jeffrey Berwager, Bethany Brenneman, Makensi Ceriani, Mandie Clark, Samantha Corum, Alexander Dale, Monica DeLuca, Courtney Evans, Ian Fanton, Rebbecca Gettle, Amber Gladwin, Emily Hudson, Levi Hynson, Karley Ice, Gregory Jakubiec, Jessica Johnson, Alexis Johnston, Alayna Kalinay, Dustin Kope, Megan Laukemann, Christopher Lehman, Samuel Linder, Lydia Lynes, Katerina Maylock, Connor McCracken, Regula Meury, Timothy Monko, Kendyl Morse, Megan Munkittrick, Megan Myers, Thomas Myers, Austin Nell, Annaliese Olcott, Alyesa Palmer, Marissa Patti, Rachel Perrego, Daniel Petersen, Rachael Portko, Courtney Potteiger, Morgan Powers, Evie Rentzel, Alyssa Resh, Katherine Richwine, Julia Ryder, Dominic Salomone, Ashley Sanderson, Joshua Shatley, Mitchell Smith, Samantha Smith, Robert Smutsky, Olivia Snare, Nicholas Sooy, Matthew Spahr, Jon Spalding, Derek Speese, David Steele, Olivia Sundell, Dylan Tamecki, Molly Urey, Tyler Verbitsky, Zachary Walker, Lindsey Wedemeyer, Evan Werner, Donavan Wetzel, Amanda Wilburn, Phillip Williams and Riley Zimmerman.

Grade 9, Regular Honors

Kayla Alston, Benjamin C Anderson, Adam Apicella, Jacob Apicella, Liana Basehore, Rita Becerra, Ethan Bell, Caroline Brough, Edward Busch, Rebecca Campbell, AnnMarie Castiqlia, Brody Clark, Nina Collins, Tyler Craig, Scott Dimmick, Jessica Ensminger, Hannah Eyster, Ashley Fogelsanger, Bryce Griffie, Bridget Hack, Matthew Howe, Jared Hubbart, Madison Ice, Cora Kelly, Alexia Kuchen, Minakota Lashinsky, Jena Linder, Kelly Malloy, John Markey, Alexander Mayer, Chelsea McCreary, Jack McKenzie, Christopher Migatulski, Jacob Molsky, Justin Myers, Sabastian Nailor, Arti Patel, Cory Poe, Arlana Racer, Brittany Reale, Brue Sellers, Zachary Shanahan, Haron Sharifi, Jarrett Snare, Nicholas Sorah, Bryanna Stauffer, Stuart Stone, Tiffany Tait, Katrina Thomas, Brittany Toner, Owen Trump, Alexus Waddell, Cassandra Zeigler and Gage Zimmerman.

Grade 10, Regular Honors

Raven Barry, Matthew Bellan, Bryan Bisch, Bailey Bleichner, Kyra Braun, Taryn Casey, Caitlyn Comrey, Gabriel Crawford, Jonathan DiPrima, Alana Eisenhour, Ariel Forbes, James Forbes, Emily Geisler, Kyle Gochenauer, Amber Graybill, Nicholas Green, Samuel Haak, Benjamin Haley, Olivia Harne, Elizabeth Hatch, Joseph Hayes, Brendan Heasley, Hailey Hobson, Clayton Horvath, Aimee Hudson, Chase Hughes, Andrew Keiter, Michael Kerstetter, Megan Latchaw, Luke Lynes, Kayne Malone, Erin Martz, Wyatt May, Kevin McClain, Cheyenne McHone, Mackenzie McKendrick, Rusty Miller, Tucker Mizerak, Logan Morris, Cheyenne Myers, Victoria Myers, Shannon Nease, Samantha Poe, Skylar Portko, Carrie Rafuse, Jared Rahn, Delaney Roman, Hannah Rupp, Michael Ruth, Morgan Sanderson, John Seifert, Richard Settle, Katelyn Sheaffer, Gerald Slothower, Leah Starner, Elizabeth Vinette, Nicholas Watson, Alana Yanez, Matthew Yohn, Evan Young and Sima Zia.

Grade 11, Regular Honors

Morgan Amsrud, John Anderson, Samantha Anderson, Betty Baker, Kimberlee Bartol, Kelsey Beidel, Kerynn Boyer, Alexandre Campbell, Jo Caruso, Gabrielle Cohen, Matthew Creavey, Thomas Creavey, Matthew Cummiskey, Dyllan Davis, Kiely Eichelberger, Peyton Foote, Bailey Gillespie, Devan Gowdy, Clayton Haak, Albert Halterman, Tiffany Hammer, Jordon Harris, Colton Heisey, Cassandra Helms, Caitlin Helsel, Rachel Hendrickson, Nathaniel Houser, Zachary Ilgenfritz, Wasim Iqbal, Hope Jacobs, Tristan Kalinay, Kaitlyn Kern, Makiah Lee, Hunter Leitzell, Elijah Locke, Alexa Lowery, Eric McFadden, Kera Mecum, Kyle Meyer, Austin Miller, Samantha Miller, Benjamin Myers, Melitta Parzyszek, Jeremiah Pease-Myers, Zachary Pletcher, Andrew Reed, Rebekah Reinaman, Kayla Rishel, Anthony Salomone, Sarah Sanders, Glenn Schmuck, Elizabeth Seebold, Zachary Shope, Evan Simpson, Jeremy Smith, Danielle Snyder, Matthew Starcher, Nathaniel Stewart, Cassidy Straw, Garek Strouse, Taylor Stuckey, Dylan Thomas, Caleb Thompson, James Wesley, Adam Wolf, Kali Yursha and Logan Zagoric.

Grade 12, Regular Honors

Corissa Albert, Elizabeth Allen, Douglas Anderson, Vincent Apicella, Dean Bernazzoli, Logan Bishop, Evette Bittmann, Jennifer Burnell, Justin Charles, Kaitlyn Chilcote, Alexandria Cromer, Jesse Cummiskey, Jacquelyn Danner, Derek Davis, Zachary Fish, Andrea Fogelsanger, Raechel Gramm, Alyssa Greene, Ty Griffie, Michael Grozalis, James Halterman, Ryan Hoffman, Brandi Hoke, Kariann Hollinger, Jacob Howell, Grace Juba, Alen Jumagaliyev, Stephany Kautz, Danielle Latham, Kevin Lytle, Stephen Manbeck, Sydney Markel, Alysa Martinez, Jonathan Mayer, Heather McCoy, Cody McLaughlin, Jordan Miller, Shelby Nease, Michael Orner, Cassandra Palomino, Samantha Plank, Katie Poplaski, Hannah Richwine, Ezra Roadman, Stacie Roller, Kendall Schwille, Leah Sentz, Coty Shoffner, Hannah Shriver, Clayton Shughart, Trevor Shughart, Caitlyn Shumberger, Selby Sipe, Mickenzie Snyder, Andrew Staub, Matthew Stine, Seth Stoerzinger, Justin Swallow, Haley Thomas, Nghia Tran, Joshua Updike, Marie Viani, Barndon Wallace, Mikayla Warner, Kara Watts and Ryan Young.

Northern High School Second Marking Period Honor Roll

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In one of her comeback interviews, she describes working in the land of Down Under as very 'warm.' She does not hesitate to make several number of films in Australia even if it should be done during the busiest parts of her life.

Her return for the Aussie fans was particularly purposed to attend the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards and also for the launch of 'Any Questions.'

Looking Back at Rachael Taylor's Small Beginnings

Rachael Taylor used to be a model in her teenage years before she even landed her role for the movie 'Transformers.' T

hrough time, her personal life grew alongside her career and even after her much talked about split with Matthew Newton, she now eagerly moves on with dating Josh Lawson, who is also her co-star for 'Any Questions.'

She shared with the Sydney Daily Telegraph that it matters for her to make local movies that people would have the eagerness to see and that paying for a worthwhile cinematic experience can help the country's film industry grow much better in time like her.

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11:30am Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in News

Felicity Emmett during a visit to the Sale shop

A SHARED passion for fashion has resulted in three generations of the same family working together in a Sale shop.

Felicity Hat Hire was established in Southport in 1988 by 82-year-old Felicity Emmett.

It is now a booming franchise with 30 stores nationally, including in London and Liverpool.

The Sale branch, on Cross Street, opened 15 years ago and is now run by Felicity’s daughter-in-law Niamh Draper.

Joining Niamh on Satudays and during school holidays are her three daughters, and Felicity’s granddaughters, Lauren, Kelly and Amy, aged 15, 14 and 13.

Niamh, aged 39, said: “The girls love coming and helping and it has given Felicity a new lease of life. We’re a really close knit family.”

Niamh, married to Felicity’s son Jeff, is currently in talks to get replicas of three hats featured in hit series Downton Abbey by the original milliners. She will find out if she has been successful in the coming month.

Milliners Figi agreed to copy one they made for Kate Winslet in movie smash Titanic in the 1990s while Herald and Heart recreated one made for Andie MacDowell in hit film Four Weddings And A Funeral.

Meanwhile, Karen Heppleston-Winn, who is from Sale, was pictured in Messenger last month wearing a Felicity hat to collect her MBE for her services to helping those with learning disabilities.

Felicity, who grew up in Northern Ireland, modelled hats for the Belfast Gazette when she was 15-years-old.

She moved to Liverpool in the 1940s and got a job in a clothes shop before taking a punt, aged 58, and investing the few savings she had starting up her hat hire business.

After that the business grew, with plans afoot to expand abroad.

Jeff, a chartered accountant, oversees the franchise on a daily basis.

Felicity trained Niamh in the Southport shop and her protegee went on to start up the Preston franchise.

The boutique has since been sold to another franchisee, with Niamh taking over the Sale shop in January.

The original Southport store has also changed hands but Felicity is still very much involved, working for free on Saturdays.

Niamh added: “She helps out whenever she can and comes to Sale a few times each week. She won’t ever retire, she loves it too much.”

Niamh is now looking forward to the racing season, along with all the wedding and garden parties summer has to bring.

Highlights for her include Aintree, Chester and Royal Ascot.

She said: “Coleen Rooney always goes to Aintree without a hat and I would love to select one for her, Samantha Cameron too.

“In my opinion Victoria Beckham always looks lovely when she wears one.”

Future plans for Niamh include organising a hat making competition for tots at Sale’s Busy Bees Nursery, on Glebelands Road.

She added: “Just imagine if we found the next great British milliner? Think how amazing that would be!”

More News stories

Hats off to Sale shop owner Felicity Emmett (From Messenger Newspapers)

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Published: Sunday, February 19, 2012

Updated: Sunday, February 19, 2012

Contrary to Jay-Z's song lyrics, no one can stay "Forever Young." Not even child stars.

This month's issue of Cosmopolitan featured teen pop star/former "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress Selena Gomez on the cover. And for many — myself included — the initial reaction is one of disdain. Why? Because Gomez is a "child" actress, and is dating a "child" (Justin Bieber). Associating Disney with a sex-ridden magazine is problematic.

My suggestion: leave Selena alone!

Our culture has this insane standard: We expect youthful role models to keep their squeaky-clean image for eternity. When they grow up (and start making grown-up mistakes), we shun them. Their well-being isn't even an afterthought.

Selena's "provocative" cover is just the tip of the iceberg. Last month, Dakota Fanning graced Cosmopolitan's cover. Fanning isn't new to controversy: Her sexual ads for Marc Jacob's Oh, Lola! fragrance upset a lot of people. Her role as punk rocker Cherie Currie in 2010's "The Runaways" bothered quite a few people as well. Mostly because of her make-out scene with Kristen Stewart, who played Joan Jett.

We just want to see her as Sean Penn's daughter in "I Am Sam." Too bad that film was released 11 years ago.

To make matters worse, Fanning was two weeks shy of 18 when January's Cosmo hit newsstands. Uh-oh. Is this an example of sexualizing a child? People are bothered by young girls who become sexual objects. However, I've heard no complaints about Taylor Lautner's rock-hard body being shown everywhere — before his 18th birthday.  

I am just pointing out the logical hole in condemning Dakota's career choices.

My point is this: Child stars struggle to be perceived as adults well into their adulthood. Wanting to remain relevant in Hollywood and in tabloids, they take their clothes off in front of a camera. Wrong? Maybe. Effective? Generally, yes.

Ashley Tisdale (of "High School Musical" fame) posed nude for Allure Magazine last year. There wasn't much publicity surrounding the event. Tisdale told the magazine, "I'm 25, almost 26, but people think of me as much younger because I look young. Being in this shoot was me saying, ‘I'm not just the young girl everybody thinks I am. I'm actually a woman.'"

Another High School Musical alum, Corbin Bleu, posed nude in 2009. His naked pics were part of a shock ad campaign for "The Beautiful Life," a failed sitcom that aired on CW.

This view of perpetual childhood has hindered the growth of many actors. Another example of a Disney child star is Lindsay Lohan.

For its January/February issue, Playboy went back to its roots. For those who don't know, Marilyn Monroe was the first centerfold in 1953. It made her iconic. She is known as the fun, fearless female (yes, that's Cosmopolitan's motto).

And troubled actress Lindsay Lohan paid tribute to Monroe. This has pissed off quite a few people, including the general public and Marilyn's enormous fan base. However, I would argue that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," as Charles Caleb Colton once said.

People are troubled by Lohan's Playboy tribute simply because she's a former Disney child star. We give these former children/current adults no room to grow up. Appearing nude is the most defiant thing they can do and sometimes, it's the only way they gain legitimacy as a grown-up.

Sure, her teeth were tarnished until very recently. Yeah, she's troubled. But we're drawn to the troubled female pop icon. Marilyn Monroe is one of many. We're drawn to celebrities with issues.

Judy Garland (yes, Dorothy from Kansas). Amy Winehouse. Rihanna. Britney Spears (a former Mickey Mouse Club member). The list could go on and on.

Am I the only person who notices the parallels between Lohan and Monroe? Both had substance abuse problems. Both faced harsh criticism for their relationship pursuits. Monroe was divorced multiple times when it was still taboo, and Lohan dated Samantha Ronson, pushing the acceptance of same-sex relationships.  

All of this, however, is old news. Lohan has already imitated Monroe for a photoshoot. New York Magazine published photographs of Lindsay mimicking "The Last Sitting" (the infamous photos of Monroe taken weeks before her death in 1962).  

Lohan's pictures were gorgeous! I'm not saying she's on the same scope as Monroe, but the photos are classy and underrated. A lot of this stems from one truth: Whe name "Lindsay Lohan" is now associated with scandal rather than with her talent.

Oh dear. I've admitted believing that Lohan is talented. That's a whole different debate.

Another argument that's made in opposition to the photoshoot is Lohan's celebrity status. Is she still a legitimate celebrity, or just another tabloid fixture who needs to step out of the limelight?

Lohan's failures are definitely her own doing. However, it's unfair to say that she was the sole initiator of her unraveling. Society has impossible expectations of Lindsay (and other former child stars) to stay perceivably chaste forever.

Becoming a centerfold isn't the end of the world. And even if it is, oh well. It's all over in 2012, according to the Mayans. Lohan may as well do a strip tease to announce her adulthood and herald in the apocalypse. The alternative is doing it clothed, and with everyone seeing her as both twins in "The Parent Trap" well into her 40s.  

Damien Croghan is senior news-editorial and international studies major. Reach him at damiencroghan@dailynebraskan.com.

Croghan: Society pushes child stars to act provocatively

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The New Girl is currently on a short hiatus on Channel 10 in Tempe, but the series will return next week with a new episode. On Thursday, fans were given a glimpse at the next episode and the one that followed when Spoilers Guide shared the photos released for the two episodes, The New Girl episode 1.11 titled Jess and Julia and episode 1.12 titled The Landlord. Check out all of the photos here. If you missed any of the previously released photos or spoilers for this series, go here.

What will happen next on this series? There is another big name guest star coming to the series, but the role he will be playing has not been revealed yet. The guest star is Dermot Mulroney. He is known for his role in My Best Friend's Wedding, which co-starred Julia Roberts and a young Cameron Diaz.

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As for Schimdt, there is possible love in the air for the character, and that love interest could be close to Jess. Will he find love with her best friend CeCe? She does have an interest in him. Max Greenfield, the actor behind Schmidt, does not want him tied down to a relationship yet though. The actor said the following, according to Spoilers Guide:

“I don’t know that I like him so much in a relationship. I definitely don’t like him tied down. I don’t know where we’re going with everything, but maybe I’ll like him in a relationship for like maybe a second. I think it’ll be a little too real for him and then he goes, ‘Oh no way!’ Either that or screws up monumentally, and hopefully over the next few years he tries to recover. I don’t think he’s ready for one.”

After falling to kiss Jess in the last episode, it is obvious that Schmidt is not ready for a serious relationship in his life. Fans are buzzing about this series on social media. One fan said the following on Twitter recently:

This Cinderella dream sequence on @TheFinderonFOX is very reminiscent of #TheNewGirl opening Oooh @geoffstults shirtless

The New Girl will air its next episode on Channel 10 in Tempe on Tuesday night.

For the latest in entertainment and celebrity news, find me on Facebook and Twitter. For more on this series, visit Sirlinksalot: New Girl.

'The New Girl' episode 1.11 and 1.12 photos and new spoilers

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- Once Upon a Time airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on ABC and CTV. For more information on the series visit shows.ctv.ca/OnceUponATime.aspx.

THE wind seemed to pick up as the Evil Queen exited her car and walked with purpose toward the sheriff's office.

Just before she reached the front door, she stopped, turned and looked directly at me.

Suddenly remembering Christian Bale's much-publicized tirade against a crew member who passed his eye line during a movie shoot, I hurriedly looked down at my notebook and over at the North Shore News photographer beside me. Unfortunately, he was trying to do the same thing: anything to avoid her gaze.

Luckily, this was not Christian Bale, it was actor Lana Parrilla, who plays Regina Mills and the Evil Queen on ABC's new hit show Once Upon a Time (CTV in Canada).

Parrilla finished multiple takes of the same scene without a hint of annoyance at the reporter watching from the sidelines. When she was done, she walked off set smiling. Off-camera, there appeared to be no hint of the malicious character Parrilla plays so convincingly on the show.

It wasn't the only pleasant surprise on a recent visit to the North Vancouver set of Once Upon a Time, which is currently shooting at the old Lynn Valley library adjacent to Lynn Valley Centre.

The set was infused with an unusually friendly atmosphere, with crew members (most of whom are from the Lower Mainland) approaching unsolicited to introduce themselves and chat about the North Shore, cameras, ferry prices and more.

Perhaps the good mood was due to the paycheques being handed out that afternoon, or perhaps it had something to do with the scenic surroundings.

The old Lynn Valley library is nestled in a picturesque nook of the neighbourhood, and on this day, the sun made a rare visit, spotlighting nearby Mount Fromme and its partner peak to the east.

Once Upon a Time has been shooting here and around the North Shore since the summer, making ample use of the nearby woodlands.

As one crew member said, "If there's a green tree in the woods, we've been there."

While the exterior of the old library stands in as the outside of the sheriff's station on the show, the interior of the building has been transformed into multiple sets.

Taking up various rooms on the first floor are the sheriff's office (complete with cells), a patient's room at an insane asylum, and a few other odds and ends. Upstairs, large wood flats separate a newspaper office, a bed-and-breakfast room, a psychiatrist's office, a classroom, and the hospital room that fans of the show will recognize as John Doe's room.

"We've shot pretty much every nook and cranny in this building, including bits and pieces in the parking lot," says executive producer Steve Pearlman during a tour of the old library space.

Pearlman recently spent two years shooting the TV series V in and around Vancouver, and had scouted the old Lynn Valley library as a possible overflow set for that show. The site was appealing because the building was empty and it was close to other shooting locations being used around the Lower Mainland.

"When we shot the pilot for Once Upon a Time last spring, we needed a sheriff's station and we came back here kind of for the same reasons. We didn't have sound stages on the pilot. We needed to build a sheriff's office, and this room kind of worked," explains Pearlman. "Then when the show got picked up for series, we just moved in and we took out a lease on the building."

He says it has been handy having a base in North Vancouver.

"If we have half a day where we can work in Lynn Canyon, we can come back here and it's a very easy move for us to make in one day; or we can keep all of our trucks here, based out of here, instead of driving our trucks all over the North Shore."

In addition to the multiple sets at the library, the production also occupies four sound stages at The Bridge Studios in Burnaby. One is a dedicated green screen stage used for all the fairy tale sequences in the show. The other stages are used for main sets, including the town's diner. Most of the exterior scenes are shot on location in Langley, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and on the North Shore.

Once Upon a Time follows a group of fairy tale characters who are cursed by an evil queen, forced out of their fantasy realm, and trapped in the fictional town of Storybrook, Maine, where none of them remembers their fairy tale lives except the Evil Queen. Her young son, Henry, has figured out the queen's secret, and has brought in an outsider (who happens to be his biological mom and Snow White's daughter) to save them all.

The series features the characters in their "real-life" environment in Storybrook, where the queen is now mayor, and tells their fairy tale stories in flashbacks. The tricky premise has presented some shooting challenges.

Each episode has offered at least one new problem to solve, including creating a cliff slide for one episode; combining computer-generated fire with real fire for another episode; and scheduling around shorter work hours in a recent Hansel and Gretel episode featuring three child actors.

"Every episode has had something to figure out," says Pearlman, adding he thinks the show is doing a good job of creating the unique fantasy and reality environments. "It's something that we work very hard at."

And the hard work seems to be paying off. Ratings show Once Upon a Time continues to be a popular entry in its Sunday night time slot, and Pearlman notes it has attracted a broad audience.

"The thing that has surprised me the most about the viewership of the show is the anecdotal information, as well as ratings information, that shows that families are watching it together," he says, adding parents watching TV with kids is "a thing that I thought was kind of just a lost phenomenon."

Just as audiences have fallen under Storybrook's spell, so too did its co-executive producer.

"I first read the script on Super Bowl Sunday a year ago, and it kind of blew me away. I needed to be a part of this show," says Pearlman. "It hit me on a magical level, on an emotional level, on a fun level; just the fact that it was so different than anything else on TV."

Attention to detail is key to the show's success, says Pearlman, and every element, from casting to computer-generated effects, being "not good, but great," contributes to its believability.

"I think that when a TV show, any TV show, is successful it's not attributed to just one area, it's every level," he says.

Pearlman interrupts the interview to step into the sheriff's office set next door with the show's director. Soon after, actors Jennifer Morrison (Emma Swan), Robert Carlyle (Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin), and Jared Gilmore (Henry Mills), file into the office to block a scene.

When the trio finishes and exits the room, Morrison smiling as she weaves through the crew, Pearlman returns and reports the blocking went well.

And so it seems while their characters may be cursed in Storybrook, life at the old Lynn Valley library is somewhat charmed.

© Copyright (c) North Shore News      

Once Upon a Time: Hit series settling into old North Vancouver library site

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17 February 2012 Denzel Washington's children aren't impressed by his career.The Oscar-winning actor has four kids with wife Pauletta Pearson but he admits they aren't particularly in awe of his success and have other people they look up to.When he was described as a "legendary" actor, Denzel replied: "Am I? I'm legendary? So when I walk past mirrors I should stop and just look at myself and say, 'You're a legend?' You don't hear about it until you do interviews and things. I'm not legendary in my house – I still put the trash out."One day my youngest son, I was talking to him and I said 'I know there must be tremendous pressure on you – me being your father.' And he said, 'No, the pressure is from my brothers and sisters.' Because his eldest brother is a professional football player, and then his eldest sister graduated from Yale, and so it was more sibling pressure. So I was like, 'So I don't mean anything?!' "The 'Safe House' star also insists the family lead a very normal life.He told British TV show 'Daybreak': "They're used to me, they're used to their dad being an actor, that's what I do. And we don't lead a movie star kind of life – we don't have a lot of handlers around the house and all that kind of stuff. A lot of mirrors though!"

© 2012 NZCity, Bang Showbiz

Denzel Washington's unimpressed children

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Mark Damon's Foresight Unlimited has picked up foreign sales rights and will be pre-selling the title at the European Film Market in Berlin with Brian O’Shea of The Exchange assisting.

Emmett/Furla Films and Universal pictures are fully financing the $90 million 2 Guns, an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Steven Grant. The plot follows a DEA agent (Washington) and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer (Wahlberg)  who are tasked with investigating one another but find out they have both been set up by the mob – the very organization the two men thought they had been stealing money from. 

Marc Platt is producing through his shingle together with Randall Emmett and George Furla. Envision Entertainment’s Stepan Martirosyan and Remington Chase, who maintain a film fund with Emmett/Furla, will executive produce. 2 Guns principle photography is scheduled to begin June 1, shooting in New Mexico and Louisiana.

In Berlin, Foresight will also be shopping the romantic comedy Rule #1 starring Reese Witherspoon directed by Courtney Hunt (Frozen River).

Berlin 2012: Foresight Unlimited Boards Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg Starrer '2 Guns'

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The other night I was sitting in my living room by the fireplace with a big fire going. I had a blanket and my favorite (and only) Pomeranian in my lap. I had a hot cup of coffee with a liberal (dare I say liberal) shot of whipped cream floating in it. All of which is weird because I live in Florida. Just kidding, I live in the Midwest, but Florida is the focus of the current field of Republican hopefuls. When the damnedest thing happened, I turned on the T.V. to watch the debate and a grade school, school yard hissy fit erupted. but maybe I have that backwards. maybe it was a grade school, school yard hissy fit and a debate erupted?

No, after careful reflection, it was a grade school, school yard hissy fit with what looked like two adult men Mitt (Fire their Asses) Romney and Newt (Mr. Infidelity) Gingrich and two other seemly adult men Rick (Mr. Holier-than-thou) Santorum and Ron (Yes, My ideas Are Crazy) Paul watching, while a bunch of other adults tried to keep from sending them to the principal's office.

The evening started off innocently enough when the moderator Brian Williams said good evening but then it got real crazy real fast. I kind of remember it like this:

Why won't you release your tax returns? said Newt

Fatty, fatty two by four can't get through the kitchen door. said Mitt

Stick and stones may break my bones said Newt. You've been spreading lies about me throughout Florida. Liar, liar pants on fire

I know you are but what am I? said Mitt.

Are you afraid for people to see how much money you made at Bain? said Newt.

You're not the boss of me said Mitt.

Oh, yeah? said Newt.

Yeah said Mitt. why don't you yell at the moderator like you did in South Carolina? That's what you do best anyway. that and pandering to the audience

That's okay. said Brian.

You were just an influence peddler in Washington. Your own party kicked you out yelled Mitt.

I think marriage is between a man and a woman. said Rick.

What? said Mitt.

Shut the F-up pretty boy Can't you see we're talking here? said Newt.

Yeah, go kiss some Evangelical ass or something. said Mitt.

Damn right said Ron. Sorry, was it my turn to speak?

NO shouted Mitt and Newt.

You were a lobbyist and you know it said Mitt.

I was a historian. a really, really well paid historian. and we lost the last couple of years of my contract, so what? and when I was the Speaker of the House, I balanced the federal budget, reformed welfare and brought down unemployment. said Newt.

Did not. said Mitt.

Did too. said Newt.

And I lead the fight to get bill Clinton's adulterous ass impeached too said Newt.

That brought the room to screeching halt. Silence. Mouths open. Weight shifting from foot to foot. Nervous energy. a lot head shaking and nervous smiles on that one.

Well I did, damn it screamed Newt.

And on another matter you were reprimanded for violating House rules and had to pay $300,000 to cover the cost of the investigation. said Ron.

High five Ronnie said Rick.

Cheat, cheat never beat. said Mitt.

Well I'm rubber and you're glue and everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you said Newt.

Did he say blubber or rubber? said Ron.

Shut up weasel. said Newt.

Newt, why don't you make like a tree and leave. said Mitt. Speaking of leaving I want to introduce my new plan to deal with illegal immigration. I call it self-deportation.

Is this some kinda gay/lesbian marriage thing? said Rick. Are you trying to slip something by the American people?

No. but instead of having to round up all the illegals we make it so they can't work without the proper documentation. No documentation, no work. that way it's more appealing for them to just go home instead of staying here and doing the work we real Americans don't want to do.

That's just stupid said Newt.

You're just jealous 'cause you didn't think of it said Mitt.

Mitt and Newt are now standing stomach to belly and the spit is flying.

Up your nose with a rubber hose. shouted Mitt.

You don't scare me. shouted Newt.

Oh, yeah what am I? yelled Newt.

You big baby screamed Mitt.

I'm telling screamed Newt.

Now, I'm really mad screamed Mitt

Oooo, I'm really scared screamed Newt. what are you gonna do fire me?

So I sit quietly in my chair sipping my coffee, petting the pommie and I reflect back to the South Carolina primary when Newt was asked by CNN moderator John King about his second wife's alleged request for an open marriage. and I recall Newt's self-righteous and condescending tone. In Newt words he was appalled you (John King) would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that and then he spoke of the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media (Hey, they were just asking the question.) and how it makes it so much harder to govern and harder to attract decent people (That's very obvious, see both political parties) to run for public office and I thought to myself. true that, my man. true that.

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Today begins the first day of Lent that many of my Christian friends use as a catalyst to get off sugar. at least for the short them. this helps motivate them to get off the sugar and give their bodies a break from having to deal with it all the time.

My cousin Diane that does this every year. Without a doubt, she is a sugar addict, whether she admits it or not. Frequently she eats chocolate or other sugar laden desserts for lunch. she did this for years while teaching elementary school. she felt it gave her the extra boost to get through the afternoon with the little ones. plus, she just plain liked it.

If you want to break the sugar habit, you too can use Lent as an inspiration. or at least as a timeline or as a challenge. but since deprivation is the most fattening food you can have (in my opinion), finding sugar free snacks that will satisfy you instead is a better solution.

Here are some that have worked for me:

1. 20 almonds ( some will tell you the palm of your hand, I like to measure them out)

2. low fat cream cheese stuffed in celery. ( Satisfies the need for crunch and chewing, plus you get fiber)

3. low fat mozzarella cheese sticks with small 4 oz. apple, sliced. ( I one had a client who lost 100 pounds in 6 months by using this as her main snack. Many times she would not even use the cheese. she liked to slice the apple into 16 slices. Why 16 slices? no particular reason, that is just how she did it and it became a good habit for her).

4. low sugar yogurt with 1/4 cup of Shredded Wheat cereal, crumbled up, used as a topping, with 1/4 cup fresh blueberries.

5. Heat 1/2 cup blueberries on top of stove, mash them up, and then mix with 1 cup plain non-fat yogurt. Pour over 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal. Very delicious and VERY filling.

You can use these ideas as a starting point to get off sugar during the next 6 weeks. the first 3 days are the hardest, so know that if you get beyond that point, it will become much easier to do. You will be shocked at how good you start to feel and how much more energy you will have. It's one thing to talk about it, it is totally different when you actually experience it.

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In recent years buy to let has been a popular way of investing in residential property. Stock markets are out of favour with many investors who have seen the values of their portfolios, endowment policies and pension funds shrink, whereas property has generally continued to rise in value. Interest rates are at historically low levels and mortgage finance is readily available on competitive terms from major banks and building societies. This brings property investment within the means of more investors than ever before. in these notes we will take the example of a foreign domiciled person, a non-resident of the United Kingdom, buying a property in London with the benefit of loan finance, but the general principles can apply to many other markets.

Buying to let pre-supposes that there is a tenant willing to rent the premises and provide the cash flow, which will service the borrowing and is only one of the factors, which need to be taken into account before entering into a commitment. these can be summarised under three main headings.

It has been said that the three most important matters to take into account when buying property are location, location and location and this maxim holds just as true for investment property,

oIt should be situate in an area where tenants are looking to rent

oIt should be attractive to tenants and be, for example, an apartment, penthouse or a period or modern house. Listed buildings or converted churches may have their appeal but it is to a narrower market

oIt should be in, or brought into, good condition.

oIt should be in an area where property is in demand, making a resale easier in the future.

For the right property mortgages are available both onshore and offshore, at competitive rates, from many of the major lending institutions and the terms can be negotiated. it is possible to obtain a loan on a repayment or interest only basis and for an agreed period. Whilst higher percentages are sometimes available we suggest not borrowing more than say 70% of valuation to avoid a cash flow crisis if interest rates rise and to allow for periods when the property is vacant. the lender will also be looking for a monthly rent of the order of 130% of the monthly repayment.

In the United Kingdom the investor will need to take into account the three main direct taxes,

oIncome tax, which is payable on rents. Loan interest and the costs of repairs and maintenance are deductible

oCapital gains tax, which is not payable by a non- resident on the sale of a property held only as an investment and not as part of a trade or business.

oInheritance tax, which is charged at 40% on the amount by which the aggregate value of chargeable assets exceeds a threshold, currently 263,000.

Exposure to taxation can be limited if, instead of the property being registered in the name of the investor, the title is held in the name of a company formed in a tax free area, the British Virgin Islands for example. This subject is covered below.

There is of course one other important factor in this equation,

It is important to take up references on a tenant both to ensure that he can pay the rent and that the occupants are likely to keep the premises in good condition. amongst preferred tenants are professionals such as bankers, stockbrokers, financiers, solicitors etc. many of whom require a property only when they are in the city and who have no interest in purchasing.

Furnished or Unfurnished

This is a decision to be taken in the light of the objectives of the investor. If he is looking for a long- term tenant, unfurnished may be the answer. the typical tenant described above may prefer a furnished property however.

Structuring the investment

As mentioned above, in order to reduce exposure to taxation, the property should be registered in the name of an offshore company, the shares in which are owned by the investor. by this means our foreign domiciled, non-U.K. resident investor can,

oEliminate completely any liability to inheritance tax

oIf each property is held within a separate company, avoid the risk that on a future sale the proceeds will be treated and taxed as trading income.

It is very important that the company itself be managed and controlled from a non-taxing jurisdiction and this is where the Chesterfield Group can help. our services include,

oForming the company in a suitable location

oActing as Directors and Secretary

oMaintaining the Registers and filing the returns required by law

oKeeping the accounting records and preparing annual financial statements

oFiling the tax returns

oLiasing with solicitors, property managers etc. as required

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These are notes taken from an interview I did with a self publishing millionaire on some of the best places to advertise..

Imagine my delight.

The first time I advertised my book in a tabloid I sold 700 orders. I made enough money to put myself in business – thousands of dollars the very first time.

If you have fresh ideas or knowledge to share, you have a saleable product. Offered to the right market, you can launch your career as an author. There are plenty of advertising choices out there. Some are good, some not appropriate to your market. your success depends on your ability to choose wisely.

How do you know which are best for you? Read on.

After my initial success, I was so impressed by my results I expanded my advertising into other media.

In a small way I went into.at that time it was called the National Tattler. It's like the National Enquirer. the book didn't do well there.

It was a different kind of an audience; a lot less sophisticated. plus they were not the type to respond to the type of copy I was using. And so, for a few years I was pretty much stuck with the Spotlight.

I tried other papers. I tried daily newspaper and it fell flat. Did I lose money? I rarely lose money.

And you won't either, once you understand the principles of direct marketing. You're not going to lose unless you really do something stupid. if you try to get cute in the headline, you're going to get killed.

Although some publications are more successful than others, I cover my costs in most of my tests. you really have to.

A couple of things that are important if I were to advise you about running a space ad and you're selling information product would be in your packaging, your mailing.

I learned a lot in that process that would made my life easier when I handled the orders, the fulfillment, the shipping, and everything.

Now I do things a lot differently. back then I did everything myself. It was very simple. It was a small booklet. you just go to an office supply store and buy envelopes and go to the post office and buy stamps.

At that time, we were using typewriters and adhesive labels. you just type the label up. you slap it on the envelope. Stick the book in the envelope.

It was a catalog envelope. It couldn't be easier. I mailed it first class, with stamps.

It wasn't until later that I started to get involved with more books that I had written and self published.

Eventually your fulfillment starts to get a little more sophisticated. you really don't have to do it yourself. hopefully you hire people to take care of that for you.

Your ideas, insights and teachings have value. if you're quick-witted or entertaining, artistic or creative, you can package it into a book. By doing a little groundwork and direct marketing you can reach a wider audience and bring in scads of cash.

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Feb 20 (Reuters) – Leading money winners on the 2012 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated):

1. Kyle Stanley $1,843,515

2. Phil Mickelson $1,789,931

3. Johnson Wagner $1,636,798

4. Bill Haas $1,616,659

5. Brandt Snedeker $1,337,879

6. Mark Wilson $1,168,343

7. Steve Stricker $1,142,000

8. Ben Crane $980,600

9. Keegan Bradley $941,217

10. Martin Laird (Britain) $770,539

11. Charlie Wi (South Korea) $735,616

12. John Rollins $727,668

13. Harrison Frazar $667,986

14. Spencer Levin $661,988

15. Kevin Na $640,116

16. Aaron Baddeley (Australia) $599,866

17. Jimmy Walker $587,963

18. Webb Simpson $561,800

19. Jonathan Byrd $560,400

20. Dustin Johnson $534,910 (Editing by Tom Pilcher)

Updated Feb 20, 1:26 pm EST

Golf-PGA Tour money list

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Date: 21 February 2012

Warsaw Alive!, a guide to Warsaw, takes us on a tour of some of the cit'y's street art, district by district.

Some of the works are legal -works created with the permission of the authorities – and illegal works, sometimes called ‘contraband’ art found on pavements, buildings, fences, electricity boxes.

But remember: there is no guarantee you’ll see the illegal works again next week or even the next day – they may already have been painted over or covered over with a poster. If that happens don’t give up but just try looking for street art in a different place.

Film pillars (legal) – during the Street Art Doping Festival in 2009 Piotr Janowczyk painted portraits of personalities from the world of cinema of the pillars of Trasa Łazienkowska.

Cultural Personalities of the 20th century Warsaw (legal) – a year after the event on Cypel Czerniakowski, and this time on both sides of Trasa Łazienkowska, Piotr Janowczyk created a gallery of 25 portraits of personalities from the 20th century Warsaw cultural world, including some film personalities.

Gallery at Sedlaczka Roundabout (legal) – Sedlaczka Rounadbout became an unofficial gallery of street art artists.

Some of works are associated with film (e.g. a mural entitled Crime Story made by Aleksandar Ćirlić). In his painting you’ll see, among others, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, Bogusław Linda in Psy (Dogs, a cult Polish film from the 1990s) and Robert de Niro in The Untouchables.

A Homer Simpson mural was painted by none other than…an artist nicknamed Simpson. The Simpsons are being shown in the USA for the 23rd consecutive season. Horace Horsecollar is another one painted by Simpson. The character was first shown in a 1936 film The Plow Boy, becoming one of the first cartoon characters of Disney.

The Avenue of Stars (legal) - created in 2009 in ‘Wiecha’Passage (a pedestrian-only passage in the centre of Warsaw). On the plaques set into the pavement you’ll find famous quotations of world cinema stars.

Hatifnats (illegal) – on the side wall (from ul. Traugutta) of the Academy of Fine Arts building you’ll find a couple of stencils showing characters from the TV kids series The Moomins.

Little My (illegal) – another character from The Moomins. In Warsaw you’ll find her in two different versions: in Pole Mokotowskie Park she’s a tiny, white, hard to spot stencil and in the Old Town (at ul. Przyrynek 2) she’s painted in black on one of the church walls.

Hans Kloss (illegal) – he’s the main character from a cultblack and white Polish TV series Stawka większa niż życie (More than life at stake). One of his portraits can be found on a pillar at ul. Moniuszki 8, and second on the inspection flap on the wall of school at the junction of ul.Szkolna and ul. Rysia.

Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart (illegal) -  Ilsa and Rick from Casablanca. The classic was made in 1943 and many of the quotations from the filmhave entered the language.

Milla Jovovich (illegal) – here she’s painted as Leeloo, the character she played in Luc Besson’s film The Fifth Element.

Cookie Monster (illegal) – a character from Sesame Street is the only street art sticker connected with films I managed to find on the underpass sign standing next to the bus stop between Ujazdowski Park and Łazienki Park.

Angelina Jolie (illegal) – she’s painted on the wall at ul.Kubusia Puchatka (Winnie the Pooh Street) posing en face, with a little grin on her face.

Vincent Cassel (illegal) – the French actor is portrayed as in the movie Hatred, where he played Vinz, living in one of the community housing developments in the suburbs of Paris.

Black cat, white cat (illegal) – the title of this work is connected with the film by the Yugoslavian director Emir Kusturica, which tells the story of the Gypsy community living on a Danube river bank.

Hugo Weaving (illegal) – a stencil at Al. Jerozolimskie 49shows Agent Smith, the main opponent of Neo in the science-fiction trilogy Matrix.

Donald Duck (legal) – thanks to the Fundacja Sztuki Zewnętrznej (Outdoor Art Foundation), North Barracks in Fort Bema (part of Warsaw Fortress) was opened to the public in July 2011. In one of its rooms Simpson painted the 1934 version of Donald Duck.

Dexter and Weasel (illegal) – Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory and Weasel from I Am Weasel are characters from the popular CN cartoon series produced by Hanna-BarberaStudios.

Marilyn Monroe (illegal) – she became an icon of cinema and sex appeal in the 1950s. Her portrait here was painted from one of the most famous of her pictures and can be found at ul. Gójecka 68 and 74.

Garfield (illegal) – presents the fat, selfish cat created by Jim Davis. Since 1982 Garfield has starred in numerous TV series and cinema movies. In Warsaw you can meet him at ul. Okińskiego 4 and 6.

Someone from TV (illegal) – a stencil of a man holding a microphone with a TV sign on it.

Wall-E (illegal) – this stencil you’ll find at al. K.E.N.60, on the last floor of the car park just behind Multikino cinema. It shows  aWaste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class – WALL-E) – one of the main characters of the movie.

Mickey Mouse (legal) – a character drawn by Simpson is a variation over Mickey Mouse – he’s dressed as a terrorist here.

Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek in the Warsaw Uprising Museum (legal) – these are characters well-known from Polish comic books, although they have also appeared on the big screen in 2002 film entitled Tytus, Romek and Tomek. The mural in the Warsaw Uprising Museum (ul. Grzybowska 79) was made by Papcio Chmiel (the author of comic book series) in 2009 and presents our heroes in the times of the Warsaw Uprising.

Black Pete (illegal) – Peg-Leg Pete aka Black Pete first appeared in the episodes of Disney’s Alice Comedies in the 1920, so before the Mickey Mouse was invented. In Black Death squat building in ul. Słodowiecka, he’s presented as a black character with his mouth wearing signs of blood (made by Simpson).

Groucho Marx (illegal) – the Marx brothers were popular film actors starring in American comedies in the 1920s and 1930s. Today you can see them in the area of ul. Bohomolca19.

Symbol of the closing of broadcast programming on TV (illegal) – during the Communism era in Poland there were only state TV channels. When all the scheduled programmes ended, a symbol of a round sign appeared on the screen. You can now see this symbol at ul. Wiktorska 55.

PRAGA POŁUDNIE (SOUTH PRAGA)

James Dean (illegal) – pop-culture icon and 1950s film star. His stencil can be found on the crossroads of ul. Ateńska and Wał Miedzeszyński.

Sailors (illegal) – they come from On the Town musical from 1949, which shows a day spent on the land by three sailors. Go and see them at ul. Saska 57.

PRAGA PóŁNOC (NORTH PRAGA)

Bas-reliefs on the elevation of Nove Kino Praha (New Praha Cinema), (legal) – on the elevation of the cinema at ul. Jagiellońska 26 you’ll see sandstone bas-reliefs of famous Polish actors and actresses. Their author was the winner of the sculpture in architecture competition. Jury from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw chose the project by Jerzy Dobrzański and the bas-reliefs were made by Piotr Banasik. These sculptures are first such monumental bas-reliefs made in Warsaw – each of them measures 4.5 by 1.5 meters.

—————————–

Małgorzata Jankowska was born in Warsaw. An incurable optimist interested in how people attempt to familiarize public space surrounding them. She decided to take part in this project tempted by the opportunity to discover a new, unknown face of Warsaw.

Back to previous pagePrint this article Add your comment:

The ephemeria of fame

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After receiving the Vogue Designer Fashion Fund Award in 2010, Kirkwood advanced his infamous identity further, that of an artist of unique, architectural style shoes. Kirkwood created catwalk shoes with knowledge that there was lack in the market for shoes of such sophistication.

Germany native, designer Nicholas Kirkwood, has been honored with ample awards from many different associations. He continues to shine and continues to design. Priced a little more on the luxurious end, Kirkwood’s designs are like no others you’ve seen, such as his Scribble-Flower Colorblock Sandal, ticketed at $1,250. Imagine these with a simple white or black dress. Be playful, be daring, be fun! Nothing is stopping you!

The creative art investments (that’s what I would call them! Or maybe justify my purchase of them that way!) are worth every pretty little penny! Multi-dimensioned, multi-colored, and ultra-unique…you’ll never find yourself at an event saying “oh, I have shoes that look just like that,” wearing Kirkwood’s one-of -a-kind designs. Check out more of Nicholas Kirkwood’s designs in-store at Neiman Marcus.

What do you think of Nicholas Kirkwood’s shoes? Tweet us @PierceMattiePR.

Whimsical and Stylish Women's Footwear with Nicholas Kirkwood (Fashion PR division of Pierce Mattie Public Relations, A Fashion Public Relations. Fashion publicity, promotion marketing firm)

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The 2011 PGA Tour season has been over for the better part of a month, but plenty of world-class professional golf has been unfolding on foreign lands in the weeks since. The past weekend featured the culmination of a handful of prestigious tournaments, but two events rose to the top.

Thanks to an abundance of sunshine that warms the continent well into what is considered winter in North American, the Australian PGA Tour is still playing out in a beautiful land far south of the equator. The Australian Masters took place in Sydney over the past four days, and the competition was fierce. The field was comprised of over 50% native Aussies, but a huge helping of America's best players were on hand in an attempt to vie for the trophy and another large payday.

One of the most notable names in the field was Tiger Woods, who brought his game down under with the intent to win and break a dry streak that is quickly approaching two years. Anyone who has smacked a golf ball down a fairway in the past decade knows about the transgressions of Woods, which have ultimately led to him entering tournaments such as these in an attempt to get his game back on track.

Through 63 holes, the chances of the former longtime world #1 seemed good. Woods stood on the 10th tee on Sunday only two strokes back of the leader, but windy conditions on the back nine led to a few tee shots that sailed into rough, creating missed opportunities at picking up valuable strokes. In the end, Woods finished 3rd behind runner-up John Senden and winner Greg Chalmers. he was truthful and straightforward about his play in a post round interview. I would have been right there, Woods said of his chance at victory, citing two bad holes in the final round and poor putting on Saturday. But I felt great. It's nice to finally be healthy again.

Chalmers took control of the tournament on the final holes with a birdie on the 15th and a par sand save on the tournament's final hole. PGA stud Geoff Ogilvy was in attendance to defend his 2010 Australian Masters title, but was unable to break into the top three, finishing in a five-way tie for fourth place with other PGA Tour champions such as Adam Scott and Nick Watney.

Asia also played host to some stellar golfing action as the final round of the Singapore Open unfolded on Sunday afternoon. When the dust settled and the clouds cleared, Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano walked away with a shiny new trophy and a check for one million dollars. The tournament was staggered by wet conditions, which forced many stoppages of play, the elimination of the fourth round and made for a sudden death playoff that was anything but sudden.

Nonetheless, the talented field adapted to the adverse weather and a group began to form at the top of the leaderboard on the tournament's final day. After 54 holes, Fernandez-Castano was tied with Juvic Pagunsan, and the two headed to a playoff to determine a winner. little did they know that it would span two days, and Fernandez-Castano finished off Pagunsan early Monday morning during a break in precipitation.

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Girls are always excited to style their hair in the way their favorite celebrity does. But the beauty and expression that are found in the branded products they use may not be acquired by other products. If you wish to acquire beautiful, long hair like your favorite celebrity Jessica Simpson, then you should definitely try the Jessica Simpson's hair extensions product for yourself. available in varies colors and styles, Jessica Simpson's hair extensions product is the best choice for anyone looking for options to dress their hair to be admired and envied everywhere. But, you may be wondering if the color of these products can match with your natural hair color. You may be pleased to know that there are different shades and tints available for you to choose according to your individual taste and needs. This is just one of the many reasons why Jessica Simpson's hair extensions are highly sought after today.

Jessica Simpson's hair extensions are also a boon to those who are worried with the embarrassment of revealing the horrible condition of their frizzy and curly hair that is unmanageable and hard to be styled. they can be used to eliminate this problem as your damaged and frizzy hair would be concealed by the beautiful locks of hair extension. in order to complement the color of your natural hair, the products have been specially prepared with a high quality fiber known as Kanekalon vibralite modacrylic fiber or human hair that matches with your hair. You can choose from a variety of colors available to choose from. the colors that you can choose from are Off Black, Chocolate Copper, Midnight Brown, Ginger Brown, Golden Walnut, Ginger Blonde, Swedish Blonde, Glazed Strawberry, Buttered Toast, Golden Wheat, Dark Auburn, Chestnut, and many more to choose from. in order to decide the best color suited for your hair, you will be provided with a color rings with the hair extension. You should always choose the color that is close to the natural color of your hair. With a branded hair color extension product, you can pull out the celebrity in you.

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What we learned a week ago in Portugal’s Algarve region:

1) Adrian Grenier has good taste in music. The “Entourage” star, in town with business partner Peter Glatzer to promote their new SHFT House Wine at the Vila Joya resort’s International Gourmet Festival in Albufeira, hit an afterparty at local hot spot Le Club. It was around 1:30 a.m., before the house-music crowd really rolled in, so Grenier plugged in his iPhone playlist and took over the front lounge’s DJ booth. As befitting a man who lives in Brooklyn, he spun an eclectic mix that skewed indie with Passion Pit and Sleigh Bells. By 4 a.m., both the front lounge and back dance floor (where DJ Tom Novy proved that there’s no bigger club banger than Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close”) were mobbed. Grenier stayed until past 5 a.m., DJing for and dancing with an appreciative crowd that included chef Todd English, who spent the day filming at the fish market for his PBS show, and Tamar Poyser, winner of Rachael Ray’s “Hey, Can You Cook?! All-Stars” competition. (English would later tweet that he loved Grenier’s wine — produced by sustainable vineyards in Paso Robles, Calif. — and wants it in his restaurants.)

Just back: Portugal

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