Sunday 22 May 2011

Celeb honeymoon destinations

Celeb honeymoon destinations
 Celeb honeymoon destinations.The world was abuzz with rumors about where royal newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton  would honeymoon. Check out these celebrity honeymoon destinations and see where Kate and William landed after the kiss.

Visitors can rent a private island in the middle of this ocean. In this archipelago of 115 islands, every view is of the beach .
 Cabo San Lucas
The southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula is known for sandy beaches, scuba diving, private villas and this amazing feature.
 Fiji Islands
On exclusive Turtle Island  you can reserve a beach and have a very private picnic. Scenes from a classic drama  showcased its beauty.
 Maldives
These atolls of the Indian Ocean make up the lowest country on earth. There's also exploring by yacht and scuba diving the coral reefs.
Bali combines beaches with tropical forest. Christina and Jordan liked kayaking. Tatum and Jenna went for tattoos.
Considered one of the five most beautiful islands in the world, it has a lagoon and barrier reef.
Tropical, but not in the middle of nowhere, the Bahamas have beaches, scuba diving and a resort modeled on France's most famous palace.
 Antigua & Barbuda
The nickname for this twin-island nation on the boundary of the Atlantic and the Caribbean is "Land of 365 beaches."
 Anguilla
Sometimes it's all about the hotel's beachfront villa  with a pool and a butler.
Only an hour from Miami, this private island is all beaches and coral reefs.
 Lesser Antilles
Leeward or Windward, the Lesser Antilles provide Caribbean charm with European influences. 
 Hawaii
The Hawaiian Islands all differ, from the color of the sand to the activities available, but no passport is needed for the 50th state
The exclusive resort in the Montecito foothills is just a drive away for Hollywood types.
 Lake Como, Italy
Italy's most popular lake has private villas, Mediterranean foliage and mountain views.
 Venice
Where else for a romantic gondola ride or a grand hotel with a dock for James Bond in this film?
 Mediterranean Islands
Leave the paparazzi at the dock while cruising the coastlines of Europe and Africa and stunning destinations like this island country.
 Costa Careyes
The Central Pacific coast of Mexico is perfect for water sports.
 Paris
Blame it on romantic movies, from "Casablanca" to this one starring Audrey Tautou.
 The Seychelles, North Island
 Remote! If the other island destination in the Seychelles seems overcrowded with 40 villas, this one has only 11 -- and you can rent the whole island.
French Polynesia
Excellent beach.

Thursday 19 May 2011

Stephen Fry joins The Hobbit

Peter Jackson has taken to Facebook to confirm that Stephen Fry will join the cast of The Hobbit.
The British comedian will join fellow new arrivals Ryan Gage and Conan Stevens who were also
announced as part of the latest round of on set news.




Speaking on Facebook Jackson said: “We are thrilled to confirm that Stephen Fry will be

playing The Master of Laketown. I’ve known Stephen for several years, and we’re developing a
DAMBUSTERS movie together. In addition to his writing skills, he’s a terrific actor and will create
a very memorable Master for us.”
Described as a nervous greedy type, The Master Of Laketown is the ruler of an outpost which in Tolkien's tome served as a trading post between men, Elves and Dwarves. The outpost has previous
history with the Dragon Smaug and so the Fry's leader isn’t quick to welcome Bilbo and his company when they arrive.

Fry will be joined Ryan Gage, who has been cast as Alfrid, the Master'’s underhanded civil servant after impressing Jackson with his performance in a smaller part. And finally the aptly named Conan Stevens has been cast as an Orc named Azgog.

The Hobbit Part I is set to hit cinemas in time for Christmas 2012.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Most lucrative college majors

most lucrative college majors
most lucrative college majors. The field of psychoanalysis has gotten the Hollywood treatment over the past decade, being featured on a hit TV show, The Sopranos, and two movies starring Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, Analyze This and Analyze That.


In the same period, the number of college students earning psychology degrees has jumped 22%; the Princeton Review pegs it as the second most popular major today. No doubt students have visions of striking it rich, listening to patients' problems while collecting $100-an-hour fees.

The reality is that few psychology majors move on to graduate school--and the career path for the rest of the group: not so rich. Psychology majors during their first few years out of school typically make around $35,000; those with 10 to 20 years' experience are pulling in $54,000. Those are the second-lowest incomes in both cases in our study of the most lucrative college majors. Only criminal justice majors fare worse.
In Pictures: Most Lucrative College Majors

The most lucrative college major today: computer engineering. Those with less than five years' experience are making $60,500, while those with 10 to 20 years' experience are banking $104,000 per year. "Everything today has a computer in it," says Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at PayScale.com, an online compensation comparison tool.

Today's computer engineering majors are designing the integrated circuits that move information around, and employers like AT&T (nyse: T - news - people ), Cisco Systems (nasdaq: CSCO - news - people ) and Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) can't hire enough of them.

To gauge the most lucrative majors, we turned to PayScale.com, which collects real-time salary information from 10 million users. They looked at 20 popular majors where most of the graduates go into the private sector; thus, some popular majors, like education and social work, were excluded.

We looked at median salaries to wipe out outliers at the top and bottom ends of the scale. Salaries included bonuses and commissions, but excluded any stock compensation. All jobs were included in the data, not just those specific to the major. Anyone who acquired an advanced degree was excluded from the study.

If you're looking for a big paycheck straight out of school, think about an engineering degree. The four highest paid majors for people with less than five years' experience were all engineering-based, with computer engineering leading the way. "It is a matter of supply and demand," says Lee, adding, "Engineers tend to stay at their jobs longer, so getting the good people right out of college is important." Despite the high pay, the number of engineering degrees issued has barely budged the past 10 years; 67,000 degrees were handed out in 2006, the latest year available.

One reason the number of engineering degrees has not grown much is that the programs tend to be very rigorous. This benefits the engineering students who can complete the coursework, though--employers know they're typically getting competent people straight out of school, and therefore are willing to dole out generous salaries.

There are several majors with better growth potential than the assorted engineering degrees. Engineering salaries tend to start high, but there is not huge growth on an annual basis. Witness the difference between engineering salaries for those with little experience compared to those with 10 to 20 years' experience: The experienced jobs tend to pay 55% to 60% higher. Meanwhile, the economics, finance and math majors are pursing jobs with salaries that often double once they've gotten some decent experience under their belts.

"The kinds of majors where you learn to integrate mathematics and science with the everyday world have a tremendous benefit in terms of earnings potential," says PayScale.com's Lee. These include economics, engineering, finance and mathematics.

For those still set on that psychology degree, plan on getting a doctorate, because a master's alone is not going to add much juice to your earnings potential. The typical salary for someone with a master's in psychology and 10 to 20 years' experience was $56,500, just $2,500 more than psych majors without advanced degrees.

Those numbers are scarier than anything Tony Soprano ever unleashed in Dr. Melfi's office.
Source:forbes

Alex Gerrard pregnant

Alex Gerrard pregnant


Steven Gerrard and his wife Alex have announced they are expecting their third baby. Already a mum to Lilly-Ella and Lexi, Alex confirmed the surprise news in OK magazine.
"It didn't feel real because it was all so quick," she said. "It wasn't planned, we were quite happy as we were, the kids are quite independent now so it was nice."
Having had two daughters already, Alex has her "fingers crossed" that the third will be easy and the WAG revealed that Lilly-Ella and Lexi are excited at the prospect of a little sister or brother.

"I'm going to have the girls running ragged," she told OK. "I'll be saying to them, 'Do this, do that'. They're so girlie that they'll love it."
Alex, who was last year forced to deny rumours that her marriage to the England star was on the rocks, said the pregnancy had brought she and Steven "closer".
"It's great because he's had loads of time off and we're both really happy. He's being so nice. He took me away to Dubai and got me a very nice present. He's very caring and is looking after me," she said.
However, Alex insisted this will be her last, saying "three is enough"... so we're guessing Stevie G will be hoping for a little boy.

Office posture tips

Correct Posture For Sitting In An Office Chair

How you sit in your office chair is very important for your body’s posture, long term health and comfort.
Humans weren’t really designed to be seated for hours on end, but unfortunately we are frequently faced with having to do so.
So, let’s begin with how not to sit.

You should avoid slouching or slumping in your chair as this will cause your spinal joints to open up and be in a state known as kyphosis.
This can cause problems with trapped nerves which can get caught when you return to a more upright posture.
Another thing you should be mindful of is sitting in the same position for extended periods of time. So, always make sure you keep your muscles and body moving frequently. Fortunately, our bodies tend to do this as a natural reaction to discomfort.
Take frequent breaks, use a countdown timer to prompt you. And do some simple exercises, I’ll post some in the Blog in the next couple of weeks.
Try to sit with your back reasonably upright, but make sure not to crane your neck forwards and be sure that your lower back is well supported to emphasize it’s natural ‘S’ curve known as lordosis.
Recent research suggests that sitting at a reclined angle is actually good for your back and posture.
Some of the better quality chairs like the Aeron, Life and Leap allow you to do this easily whilst still keeping your feet on the floor and remaining in touch with your work space.

Celebrities who "quit" acting . Did any of them succeed?

Celebrities who quit acting
Actors who quit acting. Sure, we’ve all had a bad day at work and wanted to throw in the towel, but how do you “quit” being a celebrity? Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman is the latest superstar to publicly hint at quitting the business. Here are some actors who tried to leave the business. Did any of them succeed?
Ryan Phillippe
Just as his latest movie hits theaters, the young actor announced he was leaving the business. Here’s what he said. A rep is already denying the report.
Amanda Bynes
The former Nickelodeon teen queen appeared in a modest Colin Firth hit and this cult fave before announcing that she was retiring in June 2010. She had a change of heart one month later.
Joaquin Phoenix
In 2008, the Oscar-nominated actor said “I’m done” with acting. What followed was a bizarre interview with David Letterman in 2009, followed by him un-retiring in 2010.
Evangeline Lilly
In 2009, the actress revealed plans to quit acting after the show that made her a star wrapped for good. But in an interview in 2010, she said she wouldn’t rule acting out but wanted to focus on upcoming mommy-hood.
Phoebe Cates
Once a darling of teen films, she retired from acting in the mid-1990s to be a full-time mom, making only one brief appearance since as a favor to her famous best friend.
Nicolas Cage
In 2008, he announced that he wanted to quit the business, but based on the fact that he has eight new films scheduled for release through 2012, he must have changed his mind.
Sean Connery
The veteran actor retired from acting in 2005, and when asked about it in 2007 after winning a prestigious award, he confirmed that he had no intentions of returning—and has not yet.
Alec Baldwin
In 2009, Baldwin said he plans to retire from acting. That remains to be seen, as he’s starring on a hit sitcom and has hosted this show 15 times.
Angelina Jolie
In 2010, the vixen hinted in a Vanity Fair interview that she wouldn’t be acting much longer, but she has movie releases through 2013, including one about a historical figure. Who knows what the future holds?
Viggo Mortensen
He announced in 2009 that he was exhausted and would be quitting the business. But Mortensen joined the cast of a famous book-based film in 2010, and is attached to two more films in the next year.
Debra Winger
She quit the business in 1995, and didn’t reappear on screen until Rosanna Arquette’s documentary that bore Winger’s name in 2002. She returned to acting shortly after, getting critical praise for return in this film.
Leonard Nimoy
The “Star Trek” actor announced his retirement from acting in 2010, but he still continues his role in a sci-fi cult fave series and provides a character voice in an upcoming big-budget film. So he’s not exactly retired, right?
Emma Watson
She seems a little young to retire, but in 2009 she announced her plans to do just that so she could attend college and “find herself” after her mega-hit film series wrapped. After 18 months, she’s left school and has several films coming up, including this one.
Anthony Hopkins
The legendary actor first said he wanted to quit acting in 1998, then again in 2006—but he never really left the public eye for long. In fact, he has a big role in one of the most-anticipated summer blockbusters.
Gene Hackman
In 2008, Hackman quit the acting business and briefly toured with a historical novel he co-wrote. He has not returned to the silver screen.

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Girl power anthems

Girl power anthems

It's always big news when a big star releases a new single. But the music world goes a little nuts when it's BeyoncĂ©, queen of girl-power anthems, and the song in question is "Run The World (Girls)." The single is the latest of her songs about female empowerment – a list that includes the insanely infectious "Single Ladies", "Irreplaceable"  and, from her Destiny's Child days,
"Independent Women" . Here's a sampling of others who run the girl-power anthem world.
Aretha Franklin 

 
No list of songs about strong women would be complete without "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." But Franklin's "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves" , recorded with Annie Lennox, carries a message every girl needs to hear, too:
"There was a time when they used to say that behind every great man there had to be a great woman. In these times of change, you know that it's no longer true. So we're comin' out of the kitchen 'cause there's something we forgot to say to you. Sisters are doing it for themselves."

Chaka Khan

There's no resisting a classic like Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" .With its driving, funk beat, the late-1970s song was such a hit, Whitney Houston remade it, with a music video that featured scenes from "The Bodyguard" (and soaring vocals) delivering the message:

"Anything you want done baby, I do it naturally. I'm every woman. It's all in me."

Martina McBride

The popularity of McBride's country hit, "This One's for All the Girls,"  crossed genre and age boundaries with its message for girls from 1 to 91. Whether you're wishing on shooting stars or standing your ground, you're beautiful the way you are.

Pink

Pink's "F***ing Perfect" is packed with oh-so-danceable lines that convey an important message: that no one can make you feel bad without your help:
"You're so mean when you talk about yourself. You were wrong. Change the voices in your head. ... Pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel like you're less than perfect."

Cher

In "Strong Enough" , Cher sings an overdue and bitter goodbye to an unfaithful lover. Though some lines seethe with anger, the true message is one of newfound self-confidence:
"'Cause I'm strong enough, to live without you, strong enough and I quit crying, long enough now I'm strong enough to know you gotta go."

Britney Spears

"Brave New Girl"  might strike some as a naughty starlet celebrating her image as a bad-girl boy toy. Others would give her props for empowering lines like this one:
"She lands on both feet. Won't take a backseat. There's a brave new girl. And she's comin' out tonight."

Madonna

She's come a long way since "Like a Virgin." The Queen of Pop projects in a truly empowering, no-regrets vibe in "Jump".
"I'm going down my own road and I can make it alone. All work and no fighting, I'll find a place of my own."

Cyndi Lauper

One of the classic hits of the early '80s, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" might not make it onto a mom or dad's list of daughter-inspiring songs. But there's something to be said for a fun-loving girl who's determined not to let anyone hold her back:
"Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world. I want to be the one to walk in the sun."

Hilary Duff

This teen pop star of Lizzie McGuire fame doesn't mess around in "Supergirl" (listen to it | read the lyrics):
"Haven't you heard? I'm Supergirl. You don't want to mess with me."

Alicia Keys

"Superwoman" is a soul-stirring shout out to "all the mothers fighting for better days to come, and all my women … sitting here trying to come home before the sun." It's a call for all of us to believe in ourselves – especially when times are tough.
"Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest, With an S on my chest, Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman."

Gwen Stefani

In "Hollaback Girl" , this rocker – who earned her fame as No Doubt's  frontwoman – drops too many S-bombs for the song to be make it on Mom or Dad's list of girl-power anthems. With its thumping beat, it's a no-apologies call to stand up, be tough and don't let anyone push you around.

Superchick

Right off the bat, "So Beautiful" shouts a clear message of strength and self-confidence:
"We are a thousand voices strong. We are each girl who sings this song. We are a beauty that is our own. And we are, And we are So beautiful."

Christina Aguilera

In "Can't Hold Us Down" , Lil' Kim teams up with Christina Aguilera, and the two mince no words about sexism and double standards:
"This is for my girls around the world who have come across a man that don't respect your worth, Thinkin' all women should be seen and not heard. So what do we do girls, shout out loud. Lettin' 'em know we're gonna stand our ground."

Lady Gaga

With its driving beat, "Born This Way"  is a song about empowerment – one that transcends gender and sexual orientation:

"Don't hide yourself in regret. Just love yourself and you're set.  I'm on the right track, baby. I was born this way."