ABC Studios Bringing Spooks To The States
by admin on Aug.16, 2010, under Hollywood
The United States has bred many a superspy, but one can’t deny the contributions that the British have made to the sub-genre. Sure, we’ve got Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne, but we owe a great deal to our friends from across the pond for the high-octane James Bond franchise and one of the coolest serialized shows about the adventurous and often dangerous espionage industry – Spooks.
To the dismay of longtime fans of the BAFTA-winning spy drama, ABC Studios has closed a deal for the rights to Spooks and will adapt for primetime television, reports Deadline. Michael Seitzman, writer of the Oscar nominated North Country and producer of two pilot’s at the network (the ill-fated Empire State and House Rules) has been tapped to write and executive produce the adaptation, which has received a script order from the alphabet. The program follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service’s Thames House headquarters in highly secure offices known as The Grid. Launched in 2002, Spooks has become one of the U.K.’s top series of this decade (a new season is set to debut this fall). Under the title MI-5, it has aired in the U.S. on A&E, BBC America and PBS and has become one of the most recognizable British imports on the tube today.
With any luck (and a lot of praying), Seitzman will honor the source material and give American audiences a taste of what the English has been savoring for the past eight years. Spooks is known for it’s incredibly smart dialogue and hardcore depiction of the lives of spies. Comparisons to Alias and 24 are not welcome – this is a program that shows what the daily hardships and dangerous missions of real intelligence operatives are like. A glamorous, “Americanized” makeover will turn off fans of the original and could sink ABC’s version before it even gets started.
SPOILER: The Winner Of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Is…
by admin on Aug.13, 2010, under Hollywood
Lauren Froderman had all the right moves on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Viewer votes awarded the 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Phoenix the title of “America’s Favorite Dancer” and the $250,000 grand prize. Froderman bested 18-year-old runner-up Kent Boyd of Wapakoneta, Ohio, and 19-year-old third-place finisher Robert Roldan of Thousand Oaks, Calif., on the Fox dancing contest’s live finale Thursday.
“I have been working my whole life for something like this,” Froderman said.
The bubbly contemporary jazz dancer was best known for her ability to pick up other styles, effortlessly taking on hip-hop, ballroom and Bollywood routines throughout the seventh season. She also deftly tackled a wardrobe malfunction – a dangly broken dress strap – while performing a Broadway number during the third week of competition.
Before Froderman’s crowning, the finale featured performances from dance troop Quest Crew, 7-year-old tap dancer Luke Spring and a duet between hip-hop dancer Stephen “tWitch” Boss and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. The former “American Idol” judge held her own in the fast-pumping, therapy-themed routine set to “Outta Your Mind” by Lil’ Jon and LMFAO.
“As a joke, I said this would be fun to do,” said DeGeneres.
The seventh season was plagued with injuries that forced a few dancers out of the competition. It also introduced several switch-ups to the format, including narrowing the finalist field from 20 to 11 dancers, adding past contestants as partners and replacing screaming ballroom maestro Mary Murphy on the judging panel with cool choreographer Mia Michaels.
What to Look For in Social Networking
by admin on Aug.12, 2010, under Social Networking
Through social networking, people can use networks of online friends and group memberships to keep in touch with current friends, reconnect with old friends or create real–life friendships through similar interests or groups. Besides establishing important social relationships, social networking members can share their interests with other like–minded members by joining groups and forums. Some networking can also help members find a job or establish business contacts.
Most social networking websites also offer additional features. In addition to blogs and forums, members can express themselves by designing their profile page to reflect their personality. The most popular extra features include music and video sections. Members can read bios of their favorite music artists from the artist’s profile page as well as listen to their favorite songs and watch music videos. The video section can include everything from member–generated videos from hundreds of subjects to TV clips and movie trailers.
The phenomenon of online social networking—made extremely popular by MySpace , has evolved to include more than the teenage stereotype looking to expand his/her network of online friends. People of all ages and backgrounds have discovered that they can enrich their lives through the contacts they make on a social networking website.Below are the criteria TopTen REVIEWS used to evaluate Social Networking websites.
Profiles
The heart and soul of social networking sites are user’s personal profiles. It’s like their own Internet sanctuary, a place where they can express their thoughts and feelings, post photographs and show off their network of friends. The most popular social network websites put a strong emphasis on the user’s profile, making it easy to use yet still reflective of the user’s personality.
Security
The Internet can be a dangerous place to post personal information. All social networks should provide the ability to set profiles to private in some way or another. Additionally they should have the ability to report and block users.
Networking Features
A good social network goes above and beyond just allowing users to post profiles and update pictures. Additional features should include music sections, video uploads, groups and more.
Search
The object of a social network is to find friends and expand relationships. Top social networking websites allows members to search for other members in a safe and easy to use environment. Common search functions include search by name, city, school and email address.
Help/Support
Most social network sites are self-explanatory. However, in the off-chance a user needs help there needs to be some way to contact the webmaster or answers in an FAQs section.
Legitimate Friend Focus
The growing trend for social networks is to communicate and keep in touch with people you already know. No one wants to be inundated with unsolicited spam friend requests. The best social network sites keep profiles and search options private enough that the only people that can find you are the ones actually looking for users in their own school or neighborhood networks. Even with a completely public profile, users shouldn’t be bothered with more than a couple of unsolicited comments or messages
Workplace social events ideas
by admin on Aug.11, 2010, under social events
Getting people at work to know each other better can be a key to improved working practices.
• People who know each other are more likely to co-operate than strangers
• People have more opportunity to understand the motivation and needs of colleagues in an informal setting than in formal meetings.
• Face to face informal communication is often more effective than formal communication.
How to encourage social meeting
• Install a watercooler. In the US, reference is often made to “watercooler” conversations – the discussions which take place at the chance meeting of colleagues going to collect a cup of water. The same effect can occur between smokers when there is a ban on smoking in the workplace, as there is in the UK.
• Provide good coffee. One UK university found that more members of staff met across campus after it introduced a coffee bar selling a major coffee shop brand.
• Subsidise lunch in the cafeteria on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis. If good food is provided at a competitive price, it will attract a good number of staff, particularly those who may not want or have time to prepare their own meal in the evening. A college in Gloucestershire provides free lunch for all its staff every day because it finds it to be an excellent way of getting them to meet.
• Introduce a happy half-hour before or after work where staff can meet for a cup of tea or coffee on arriving at the workplace or before setting off for home.
• Provide somewhere to meet. Schools have common rooms for staff not just to provide them with somewhere to pass time between classes, but also because it is a place for them to meet informally.
• Provide tea and coffee or light refreshments immediately before or after formal meetings to encourage people.
• Put on parties. You’ll find lots of ideas for parties on this website. You could have a summer garden party, a Christmas or New Year party; a party to celebrate a significant achievement; parties for children; a fundraiser party for charity.
• Bring in a takeaway if people are working late. It will be much appreciated, give them a short break from the burden of what they are doing, and provide a good opportunity for a casual discussion.
Lohan’s jail neighbour saw her crying
by admin on Jul.28, 2010, under Celebrity Gossip
Lindsay Lohan’s former fellow inmate and “Pretty Wild” reality star Alexis Neiers said she could hear the actress break down when she was put behind bars last week.
“Crying. [Lindsay] was crying,” Neiers, who finished her 30-day jail term at the Century Regional Detention Facility, in Lynwood, Calif., for pleading no contest to burglarizing Orlando Bloom’s home, told E! Online. “I could hear her.”
According to Neiers, Lohan’s first few days in jail were the most difficult.
“I could start hearing like what was going on in there, I tried to just, really just keep to myself and the last thing I really want to hear, you know, when you’re trying to be so strong and just get through the day. I mean, the days are so long in there, you’re woken up at 5:30,” Neiers explained. “She was crying. She was talking to deputies and, you know, just trying to — I couldn’t really like make it out, but from what I saw the first day, I mean, she was lying in there and just trying to like calm down.”
Neiers claimed that the 24-year-old actress has been allowed some special treatment since entering jail.
“I mean, she got to keep her [hair] extensions in and everything, which most people don’t,” she told E! “And the girls were like, ‘Ah, they had to take my weave out and cut it all out and,’ you know, stuff like that.”
However, the actress’ legal counsel, Shawn Chapman Holley, told Access Hollywood on Sunday that Lohan “is not getting special treatment and she hasn’t asked for special treatment.”
Neiers also offered Lohan some advice for her remaining days in jail.
“I wish her the best, honestly, but you know, it’s all up to your mindset, and I don’t know what her mindset is in there,” she said. “And I mean, from what I understand, she was having medical attention and she was just trying to get — I’m sure she was just trying to get through the days. I mean, it’s hard.”
Kim Kardashian has pleaded with a fan not to get plastic surgery to to look like her.
by admin on Jul.26, 2010, under Celebrity Gossip
On Saturday, a Twitter user calling herself “wishiwaskim,” Tweeted that she was going to go under the knife.
“I’m getting head to toe plastic surgery next week to look like @kimkardashian so my husband won’t leave me,” the woman wrote. “He worships @kimkardashian.”
Kim quickly responded with an emphatic, “NO.”
The “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” beauty went on to try and encourage the woman to be proud of who she is.
Michael Lohan has been charged for attacking fiancee
by admin on Jul.23, 2010, under Celebrity Gossip
Michael Lohan has been charged with 2nd degree harassment for allegedly attacking his fiancee Kate Major, Access Hollywood has learned.
According to the police report obtained by Access on the night of the incident (July 19) Major has accused of Lohan of attacking her after she allegedly did not answer his call.
“(Lohan) flipped the sofa chair over while I was sitting in it causing me to bump my head into the wall and my body to the floor. My left collarbone is sore and my right knee is scraped. He proceeded to throw a shoe at me and kick me in the mouth while I was down on the floor,” Major alleged in her statement to the police. “I have a cut on my lip which is causing me a little discomfort. After he kicked me he said, ‘I am going to go back to jail because I am going to kill you!’ I am very scared of Michael Lohan and I want to pursue charges against him for harassment and get an order of protection against him.”
On Thursday, a rep for Lohan denied the allegations against him, telling Access in a statement, “Michael Lohan 100 percent denies each and every one of Kate Major’s allegations. He has never threatened to harm her, never assaulted her, and never physically abused her in any way.”
Lohan’s rep goes on to blame Major’s alleged alcohol consumption on the incident.
Lohan to be behind bar for two weeks
by admin on Jul.21, 2010, under Celebrity Gossip
Los Angeles sheriff’s officials say Lindsay Lohan will likely spend about two weeks of her three-month sentence in jail.
Department spokesman Steve Whitmore says Lohan is likely to be released on Aug. 1 or 2. The projected release date reflects all the credits Lohan is likely to receive.
The department has said the actress was likely to serve a quarter of her sentence or less.
Lohan surrendered at a Beverly Hills courthouse on Tuesday and was immediately whisked away to an all-women’s jail in Lynwood. She will serve her time in an isolation unit that has previously hosted Paris Hilton and Michelle Rodriguez.
The 24-year-old’s jail sentence began two weeks after a judge sentenced her to three months in jail and another three months in rehab for a probation violation.
Arrival and departure
Wearing dark denim jeans, a gray top, black corset belt and black jacket, the 24-year-old Lohan showed up at the Beverly Hills courtroom about 10 minutes late. After a short hearing, she rose and was handcuffed behind her back to serve her time for a probation violation.
Lohan was accompanied to court by her mother, Dina, and younger sister Ali, who wiped away tears after her sister was taken into a lockup.
Her estranged father, Michael Lohan, yelled, “We love you Lindsay!” as his daughter was led away. She was then taken across town to the Century Regional Detention Facility in the industrial suburb of Lynwood.
Facebook adds Advertising Accounts feature to the application settings dashboard.
by admin on Jul.16, 2010, under Facebook
This week, Facebook added what we believe is a new feature to the application settings dashboard that lets developers add “Advertising Accounts” to their applications. What is an Advertising account, compared to a normal Admin account for an application? Essentially, those users granted Advertising Accounts for an application are considered authorized to use the “connection targeting” feature to place Facebook Ads targeted to users of that app.
The “Advertising Accounts” field is on the “Advanced” tab of the application settings dashboard
While developers could have always theoretically allowed any advertiser to use a developer account to place connection-targeted Facebook Ads, now it’s easier to manage. As a result, developers may be more encouraged to think about ways of generating value from Facebook Ads shown to users of their apps, like partnering with other agencies that are helping advertisers bid on Facebook Ads inventory.
Of course, Facebook wants to find ways to increase the number of bidders for as much of its inventory as it can. This update is one way it can do so that is aligned with the interests of developers. One thing Facebook doesn’t allow is connection targeting against applications (or pages, groups, or events) that an advertiser is not authorized for – that would lead to a lot of nasty ads.
We have asked Facebook to comment on what we assume are their intentions for this new feature, and will update when we get an official response. We’re still seeing some bugs in it as well.
Nina Garcia is pregnant
by admin on Jul.14, 2010, under Celebrity Gossip
“Project Runway” judge Nina Garcia is pregnant, Access Hollywood has confirmed.
The beautiful brunette, 45, is pregnant with her second child, a rep for Lifetime, the network which airs “Project Runway,” told Access on Tuesday.
Garcia, the fashion director for Marie Claire magazine, is due in December.
In related “Runway” news, the show returns to Lifetime with Season 8 on July 29 at 9 p.m.
Access Hollywood has also confirmed with Lifetime that beauty Selma Blair will be the celebrity guest judge for the first episode of the new series.
Previous celeb guest judges have included Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham and most recently Faith Hill, who judged Season 7’s final collection alongside host Heidi Klum and designer Michael Kors.
