Men Free Blog

Here it is copyright bandits, the single biggest reason (besides silicone) to make a Hollywood studio notice you: the MZK-NAS02SG1T network attached storage device from Planex. The main selling point behind the ¥54,799 (about $524) 1TB Gigabit Ethernet block is the claim to “universal access” for all your devices. That little trick comes courtesy of its DigiJuke browser for searching and tagging the BitTorrent and YouTube content you want downloaded in the appropriate PSP and iPod (MPEG-4), Wii (FLV), or TV (MPEG-2) format for in-home or on-the-go viewing. The NAS also streams audio and video to your iTunes laptops or desktops, DLNA TV, Xbox 360, or other compliant device in the home. A front-facing USB 2.0 jack offers one-touch dubbing of USB sticks while a second around back offers ready storage expansion. It ships with a pair of 3.5-inch 500GB drive which you can swap out for higher capacity spinners at a later date. That is if the studios don’t shut you down first.

[Via Impress]

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By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer
Sat Apr 26, 2:02 PM ET
INDIO, Calif. - Tegan and Sara, the identical twin powerpop duo, are accustomed to writing intimate, emotional songs about heartbreak. But when performing, for every song like “Back in Your Head,” there’s a balance of silliness. Between nearly every song played by the singing-songwriting pair, the two casually — often hysterically — banter back and forth in what amounts to indie music’s answer to Laurel and Hardy.

“Sometimes I like it more than music,” said Tegan Quin in an interview backstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The 27-year-old Quin sisters and their band played at Coachella on Friday, their second trip to the annual desert festival. (In 2005, the excitement of playing the festival was greatly diminished because a case of the whooping cough had weakened two band members.)

This time around, Tegan and Sara played a brisk set on the main stage, and while they didn’t take too much time to chat, they still found reason to discuss dreams in which David Bowie appears. They also briefly lamented the poor acts that on Saturday were to play at the same time as Prince (the festival’s biggest draw).

For Tegan and Sara, who hail from Calgary and released their fifth album (”The Con”) last year, such comic relief is nothing new.

“We got on stage that first time to do a show in front of strangers and we finished a song or Sara screwed up or something, and I made a comment,” recalled Tegan. “The audience laughed and I was like, `There you go, buddy! This is our thing.’”

She believes the roots of their routine likely comes from reacting to all the attention they received as young twins. But it’s become an integral extension of their open-book ethos.

“It calms the audience down,” said Tegan. “I think it makes them feel like we’re real people, not like a rock show or watching television. We’re really, actually there.”

Said Sara: “You’re up there singing your heart out and sometimes you want people to know you’re not always like that.”

The sisters think they might one day make a mix tape of their best stories and jokes told in concert (they record all their shows). But for now, the comedy of their chatter and the tragedy of their songs will remain separate.

The twins are often asked if they plan any of their banter, but they never rehearse anything but the songs.

“We can barely get together to write a set list,” said Sara. “We certainly can’t sit and write jokes together.”

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By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer
Sat Apr 26, 2:04 PM ET
 
INDIO, Calif. - The Verve played their first concert in the U.S. in ten years, taking the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival.
The psychedelic Brit Pop group played for about an hour as one of the main attractions on Friday, the first day of the three-day Southern California festival. The Verve reunited last summer, but had previously only played a handful of sold-out concerts in Europe.

On Friday, frontman Richard Ashcroft thanked “the hardcore” for coming out to see them. The band was sure to play its biggest hit, “Bittersweet Symphony,” but Ashcroft made it clear they weren’t only on a nostalgia trip.

While introducing one of the Verve’s new songs, “Sit and Wonder,” Ashcroft noted that many reformed bands don’t write new music.

“But that’s what we’re all about,” said Ashcroft. “So let’s make some music.”

The Verve, who plan to put out a new album this year, formed in 1989.

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By CHRISTINE SIMMONS, Associated Press Writer
38 minutes ago
 
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush poked fun at his potential successors Saturday night, expressing surprise that none of them were in the audience at the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner.

“Senator McCain’s not here,” Bush said of GOP nominee-in-waiting John McCain. “He probably wanted to distance himself from me a little bit. You know, he’s not alone. Jenna’s moving out too.”

Bush then referred to scandals that have dogged the campaigns of the two remaining Democratic candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, in explaining their absence: “Hillary Clinton couldn’t get in because of sniper fire and Senator Obama’s at church.”

During the ongoing campaign, Clinton mistakenly claimed to have landed under sniper fire in Bosnia as first lady. Obama’s longtime Chicago pastor has been criticized for his negative comments about America.

The president admitted to being “a little wistful” in his final appearance at the dinner, showing video clips of his routines from previous years. He finished by conducting the U.S. Marine Band in a medley of patriotic marches.

Bush was followed by Craig Ferguson, the host of CBS’ “Late Late Show.”

The Scottish-born Ferguson found middle ground between the tepid impersonations of last year’s entertainer, Rich Little, and the merciless satire that Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert delivered in 2006.

Ferguson, who became a U.S. citizen in February, asked Bush what he was going to do after leaving office, then suggested, “You could look for a job with more vacation time.” The president has drawn criticism for the amount of time he has spent away from the White House during his presidency.

Vice President Dick Cheney, Ferguson said, “is already moving out of his residence. It takes longer than you think to pack up an entire dungeon.”

The guest list for the dinner included plenty of VIPs from outside the Beltway: Actors Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, John Cusack, Pamela Anderson and Claire Danes, singers Ashlee Simpson and the Jonas Brothers and author Salman Rushdie were among the invitees. Washington’s power elite was still well represented, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in attendance.

During the event, the White House Correspondents’ Association presented its annual awards, announced earlier this month, to:

• Deb Riechmann of The Associated Press and Ed Henry of CNN, the Merriman Smith Award, the top journalism award for White House reporting under deadline pressure.

Riechmann, the winner in the print category, won for her coverage of President Bush’s trip to Iraq’s Anbar province last September. Henry won for reporting on the Bush administration’s contradicting assertions that top Iranian officials had authorized sending improvised explosive devices to Iraq.

• Alexis Simendinger of the National Journal, the Aldo Beckman Award for sustained excellence in White House coverage. The judges recognized her for breaking the story about the use of Republican National Committee e-mail accounts by some White House officials.

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporters Paul Shukovsky, Tracy Johnson and Daniel Lathrop, the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. In a series of articles, “The Terrorism Trade-Off,” they revealed a major shift by the FBI away from white-collar crimes as it ramped up its pursuit of suspected terrorists.

The White House Correspondents Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.

___

On the Net:

White House Correspondents’ Association: http://www.whca.net

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Sun Apr 27, 4:06 AM ET
 
LOS ANGELES - Two ABC series were in repeats — as winners — at the annual awards honoring good work in media presentations of gays and lesbians.

“Brothers & Sisters” and “Ugly Betty” received awards for outstanding drama and comedy series during the 19th annual Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards at the Kodak Theatre on Saturday night.

Both shows, which feature openly gay or transsexual regular characters, received the same awards last year from GLAAD.

On “Brothers & Sisters,” Matthew Rhys plays Kevin, a lawyer sibling whose dating life is frequently depicted on the drama. “Ugly Betty” features Marc St. James, the flamboyantly gay assistant played by Michael Urie, as well as Alexis Meade, the transsexual editor played by Rebecca Romijn.

Other winners included Bravo’s “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” for outstanding reality program, Janet Jackson for the Vanguard Award and Rufus Wainwright for the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, in honor of the late casting director who fought homophobia in the entertainment industry.

According to GLAAD, the awards honor individuals and projects in media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives. The awards are split into four ceremonies, held in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and San Francisco in March, April and May.

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On the Net:

GLAAD: http://www.glaad.org

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By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainnment Writer
23 minutes ago

INDIO, Calif. (AP) — “Coachella, I am here.” Prince hit the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with that announcement, heralding his arrival as the much-anticipated headliner of the summer festival.

Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, Prince strutted onto the stage wearing white pants and a white shirt with glittery fringe. His performance, the centerpiece of the three-day festival, was announced only two weeks ago, immediately making an already very hip festival of 125-plus bands significantly more in-demand.

And Prince knew it.

“You are the coolest place on earth right now!” Prince declared to a sea of tens of thousands.

Prince, who had been sought out to perform at Coachella since the festival was founded nine years ago, told the crowd that when he agreed to perform, he informed the organizers that he would not only play, but party too.

True to his word, Prince then launched his band — complete with a horn section and background singers — into “Jungle Love.” Morris Day came out to sing his song, while Prince strolled around the stage with his guitar.

For the beginning of the show, Prince preferred to let his guitar do the talking. He also welcomed the singer and drummer Sheila E, who took the lead for a song and then joined Prince in an extended jam.

Finally, Prince satisfied the crowd with a celebratory performance of “1999.” His classic “Little Red Corvette” soon followed.

One of the big surprises of Prince’s concert was his cover of Radiohead’s “Creep,” which was sure to be one of Coachella’s most talked-about performances. With some lyrics adjusted, a ripping guitar solo and extended falsetto crooning for a finale, Prince’s “Creep” had the crowd slack-jawed.

To close the set, he gave another unique take on a song not his own: the Beatles’ “Come Together.” He urged the audience — whom he called his “choir” — to sing “Come together, yeah” over and over.

And just as trepidation was beginning to take hold in the crowd that Prince might actually leave without playing “Purple Rain,” he returned to confirm that even in the desert, it could rain purple.

Even after the encore, though, he came back for more.

“They’re telling me that we got to go, but I can’t leave!” Prince shouted. He then flew through a torrid version of “Let’s Go Crazy.”

Prince had widely been considered the one act most all concertgoers — a diverse 60,000 of indie rockers, electronica dancers and pop fans — were certain to see. And by the end of “Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince had seemed to put his stamp on Coachella lore.

“From now on, this is Prince’s house,” he shouted before triumphantly strutting off stage and tossing his guitar 30 feet behind him.

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Filming of the latest Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, has been put on hiatus after two stunt drivers were injured during filming. The crash apparently took place while performing a chase sequence where one driver in an Alfa Romeo crashed into a wall while chasing Bond’s Aston Martin DBS along the Gardesana, a curvy road that lines Lake Garda. The man behind the wheel of the Alfa was flown to the hospital in a helicopter and is in serious condition, while his passenger sustained only minor injuries.

This news comes within days of the previous crash that put one of the DBSs used for filming into the same lake, and despite the fact that filming was about to be wrapped today, the set remains closed until an investigation takes place. Thanks to all who tipped in.
[Sources: CNN, MI6.co.uk]

There’s no other way to say it, DivX is on a roll in 2008 (that small Stage6 stumble is already a fading memory). If support from Blu-ray players and videogame consoles wasn’t enough, DivX Certification has snaked its long arm directly into HDTVs, with “over 80 models” from HP and LG slapping on a sticker indicating users can simply plug a USB drive in and play their entirely-legitimately-owned content. Expect that number to grow, since DivX is also working with AMD, Chips and Media, Broadcom and Trident to include support in other chipsets powering digital TVs near you. Now how about we see some of that content?

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Handmade tooth fairy cushions, add your own touch and you have an original gift. These cushions have little pockets on them for a small child to put their tooth and a letter to the tooth Fairy when a tooth falls out.
 

The tooth Fairy kindly leaves a coin or a special stone / gem in place of the tooth.

Just take a few scraps of pretty material, or recycle a pretty silk dress from a thrift store, some lace and ribbon and in no time at all you have a delightful gift.

Materials

remnant of material (cotton print, silk, satin, velvet, etc.)
length of pre-gathered lace
scrap of material for pocket
ribbon (narrow, stin-finish is very attractive)
filling (old pantihose cut into 5-cm strips)
paper for template
scissors, pins

Method

* Fold the paper in half and cut a heart shape to the size required. Open out. Figure 1 shows the suggested size.

* Pin template on double layer of material, then cut out.

* Sew lace on right side of one layer as shown, with ruffled edge pointing inwards.

* Cut out two layers of pocket shape to size required. Sew together, leaving a small gap (figure 3). Turn right side out.

* Fold and press as shown (figure 4). Stitch to one heart-shaped piece of material. Use press stud to close pocket flap.

* Add ribbon.

* Place two heart-shaped pieces of material with right side together. Stitch together on same line as stitching for lace, leaving a small opening on one side to insert filling. Turn right side out, press.

* Insert filling. Hand sew opening shut.

Believing is important. You don’t have to believe in Fairies.
But when you believe - whatever you believe in - you help that be true.

Fairy Letters

This night it is a special night
As fairies dance upon the roof.
All the fairies must alight,
For Thierry just lost a tooth!

The Fairy Queen gives her commands-
Twelve bright fairies must join hands
Then together in a circle stands
To guard Thierry while he sleeps.

The Tooth Fairy into the circle leaps
The hidden tooth she takes
Ah, but has far to go
Before Thierry awakes.

Three times around the world she flies
Over valleys deep and mountains high;
Skirts the storm clouds thick with thunder,
Wings over waves all wild with wonder.

Deep within their earthly homes
Finally she finds the gnomes,
Who upon the tooth must work
Never once their duty shirk.

Some are hammering, hammering, hammering,
Some the bellows blow
Others sweat at the sweltering forge
And then cry out, “Heigh Ho!”

The tooth’s been turned to a shining stone,
A glimmering, glowing gem
The tooth Fairy takes the gnomes’ good gift,
And bows (curtsies) to all of them.
Before the sun’s first rays are shown,
She returns to Thierry’s bed,
And then - - - away she’s flown!
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Oil company advertising is apparently much more effective than we had originally thought. As gasoline prices creep up towards $4.00 per gallon (already there in Southern California), consumers are still more likely to purchase fuel based on brand over price.

According to NPD Group analyst David Portalatin, consumers cite “product performance” as their justification for buying one particular brand over another. It’s all due to very effective branding and marketing, cites Portalatin. (We’d have to agree, as we’ve yet to meet anyone who can discern a difference between a tank of Chevron or Costco fuel from the driver’s seat.) Now that the massive oil mergers are behind them, the petroleum giants are focusing on selling “quality” to differentiate themselves from the discount fuel stations. As consumers continue to blindly drive towards big brand gasoline, their efforts are apparently working — regardless of cost. Let’s just hope Starbucks doesn’t catch wind of this trend and try a new source of revenue…
[Source Advertising Age, Photo by David McNew, Getty Images]