Author: CircleMe

British teens do better in franchise films

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Australian star Liam Hemsworth who is in this summer’s biggest bomb “Paranoia” crashed and burned on his first outing outside of last summer’s movie franchise hit “The Hunger Games”.

Several of the biggest franchise movie names including Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame and Robert Pattinson who made his name in the vampire series “Twilight” have also had starring roles outside of their better known series.

Radcliffe starred in eight Harry Potter films and has had some big splashes in the theatre since. He starred in the play Equus as well as “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. He also starred in the movie “The Woman in Black” which gained mixed reviews and earned $127 million world-wide.

Radcliffe will next star as Igor in the upcoming film Frankenstein. Another British star, Pattinson, drew the crowds as Edward Cullen in Twilight but his other roles have been not so well received including his turn in the movie “Water For Elephants” alongside Reese Witherspoon.

He also starred in “Bel Ami” and “Cosmopolis” but neither film did well at the box office. Radcliffe’s Harry Potter co-star Emma Watson has had the biggest success so far starring in the acclaimed “Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “This Is the End”. 

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Doctors compete to treat Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson’s doctors competed to treat the late pop star according to his ex-wife Debbie Rowe. Rowe, who was married to Jackson from 1996-1999, was testifying at a trial in which Jackson’s mother, Katherine, is suing tour promoter AEG Live.

Rowe, who testified on behalf of AEG, said that each of the doctors offered Jackson, who died in 2009, strong painkillers. This was well before his death from an overdose of the surgical anaesthetic propofol, on June 25 2009.

Rowe, who is the mother of the King of Pop’s two older children, said the singer had a very low tolerance for pain. As such, doctors had over the years prescribed potent drugs like Demerol, Dilaudid, Oxycodone, and Vicodin.

Katherine Jackson is suing the promoter in a multi-million case for negligently retaining Conrad Murray who looked after Jackson during the “This Is It” tour.

The doctor was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2011. He had prescribed the drug because the “Thriller” singer had chronic insomnia.

The former nurse, who now raises horses, said that because of the music stars history of chronic pain he was ling being prescribed powerful drugs.

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Beef Pot Roast, taste in a pot

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When we think “roast” we often think “oven” but one of the tastiest roast meals is pot roast beef which can be done simply and easily on the stove top.

Pot Roast is an excellent meal to serve for an evening entertaining friends for a dinner party. It can be served with baked potatoes and gravy and a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes.

The ingredients required are 2 teaspoons olive oil, 4 pounds boneless chuck roast,1 onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Meat should be seasoned and left to marinade prior to cooking.

First preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a Dutch oven on top of the stove over a medium high heat. Then add meat and sear for around 4 minutes, searing all sides for 3 to 4 minutes each. Remove from the pan and sprinkle salt and pepper, add garlic, and 1 bay leaf. Replace meat in the pan and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for a further 1 ½ hours. Garnish with onions and gravy.

A variation on this dish involves searing the meat. Once browned, add water, and boil until tender over a low flame. 

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Auckland, City of Sails

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Auckland is the largest and most populous city in New Zealand, situated in the country’s North Island. Known as the “City of Sails”, Auckland, lies on an isthmus and has the largest population of Polynesians than any city in the world. Two harbours surround the isthmus.

It is in a very volcanic area with as many as 50 volcanoes that are shaped like cones, lakes, lagoons, islands and depressions. The city has around 14 lava caves which run towards the sea. Sailing is very popular in the city which lies on a harbour.

Auckland has an oceanic/temperate climate with warm humid summers and mild damp winters. More than 100.000 yachts and launches are registered there and one of the most famous sailboat races in the world the Americas Cup takes place in New Zealand.

The city has a number of interesting sites, including Prince Albert Park as well as Sky Tower which is the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere.

The Vector Arena is in downtown Auckland and getting around the North Island is made simple with a local train which is based at Britomart Station. The Auckland International Airport is around half an hour from downtown Auckland.

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London museum acquires Vivien Leigh archive

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The personal archive of “Gone With The Wind” star Vivien Leigh has been acquired by London‘s Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum. The archive includes personal diaries and letters to her husband Sir Laurence Olivier.

The museum said it bought the archive from Leigh’s grandchildren for an undisclosed amount. The collection also includes photographs, her awards, annotated film and theatre scripts, and thousands of letters from some of the most famous names in world history including Sir Winston Churchill, TS Eliot, Marilyn Munroe, the Queen Mother, and Noel Coward.

More than 200 letters exchanged between the screen legend and Olivier who was married for 20 years exists. Leigh won the Best Actress Academy Award for playing the strong-willed heroine Scarlett O’Hara in the American Civil War epic GWTW. She was also famous for the role of Blanche Dubois in the film version of the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire“.

The British-born actress died of tuberculosis in 1967 at the age of 53. Items from the collection, which have never been on show before, are expected to go on display in October. 

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Robin Thicke dismisses Marvin Gaye plagiarism claims

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American singer Robin Thicke has filed a legal suit against the family’s of 70’s soul singer Marvin Gaye and Bridgeport Music after they accused him of plagiarism over his hit Blurred Lines. The Gaye family has claimed that Blurred Lines is plagiarism of their father’s Gaye’s 1977 song “Got To Give it Up”.

Bridgeport Music, owner of the compositions of the 1970’s funk band Funkadelic claim that the song is a reworking of that group’s 1974 single “Standing on the Verge of Getting it On.” Thicke has denied the charges or any suggestion that the song was inspired by any other. Pharrell, who also appears on the song and is a big fan of Marvin Gaye, has denied any comparisons.

Thicke has had some measureable success lately, appearing on the Kevin Hart-produced hit BET fake reality comedy series “Real Husbands of Hollywood”. Thirty-six year old Thicke is married to black actress, Paula Patton, who has starred in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” and the Denzel Washington film “2 Guns”.

Blurred Lines has been stirring up controversy for weeks now. It was banned from YouTube for being too racy with its depiction of naked women gyrating over Thicke. The song has reached number one in 14 countries.

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Chef’s Salad for you

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Salads can be an interesting way to enjoy a healthy meal with a difference. The Chef’s Salad combines a variety of protein with vegetables.

It needs 4 cups torn iceberg lettuce, 4 cups torn fresh spinach, 4 ounces cooked ham, chicken, or turkey, cut into bite-size pieces, 4 ounces Swiss or American cheese, cut into bite-size pieces, 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced, 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges, 1 small red sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips, 1 cup croutons, and 1/2 cup bottled French salad dressing

Toss the greens in a large bowl, dividing them into four salad bowls. Arrange the meat, cheese, eggs, tomato, and sweet pepper on top. Sprinkle with croutons. Drizzle with salad dressing.

For variations there is the Italian Chef’s Salad made with 2 ounces cooked chicken and 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, no eggs, 2 ounces sliced pepperoni, one 6-ounce jar quartered marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained; and 1/4 cup sliced, pitted ripe olives.

For dressing, use a creamy Italian salad dressing. A Mexican Chef’s Salad will require cooked chicken, beef, or pork and cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, no eggs, one 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained, and 1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives. Use corn chips instead of croutons. 

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Barcelona, cultural capital of Europe

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Barcelona
Barcelona is one of the largest cities in Spain and the capital of Catalonia. The city is the largest on the Mediterranean Sea and sits between the mouths of the Llobregat and Besos Rivers.

The city was founded as a Roman city and has a rich cultural heritage making it a rich cultural centre and an important tourist destination. The architectural works of Gaudi and Domenech i Montaner have been designated Unesco World Heritage Sites.

Among the city’s main sites are the Sagrada Familia church, Palau Guell, the Columbus Monument, and the Arc de Triomf. Barcelona has many small hills and boasts a Mediterranean climate with mild humid winters and warm dry summers.

The National Museum of Art of Catalonia has a well-known collection of Romanesque art while several other museums exist, which cover architecture. There are also 68 municipal parks. The Camp Nou football stadium, home of FC Barcelona, is the largest in Europe.

The Barcelona International Airport is one of the busiest in the world. The city also has an extensive road and rail network connecting it to parts of Europe. 

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Paranoia bombs up the box office

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PARANOIA

Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford‘s new film Paranoia has proven to be Ford’s biggest box office bomb ever. The action thriller starring the British Oldman and one of the biggestHollywood actors (Ford) going head to head with Australian actor Liam Hemsworth in the middle was estimated to make as little $6 million after taking in $3.5 million in its first three days in cinemas.

The film is one of the worst box office performers for all three actors and one of the biggest bombs of the summer. It’s also Ford’s worst-reviewed film to date. It has gotten mostly “rotten” reviews behind 1994′s “Jimmy Hollywood”. Paranoia cost an estimated $35 million to make and stars Oldman as Nicholas Wyatt and Ford as his corporate rival Jack Goddard with Hemsworth using entry-level staffer Adam Cassidy as a pawn.

Ford stars in the adaptation of the movie “Ender’s Game” in November. Harrison Ford has starred in some of the biggest movies in history including Raiders of the Lost Ark, the other films in the Indiana Jones franchise, and of course, the Star Wars franchise.

Oldman starred in the Harry Potter films while Hemsworth was in the hit The Hunger Games. Director Robert Luketic has had other flops such as Monster-in-Law and The Ugly Truth.

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Ex BBC Dj charged with sex crimes

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One of the best known deejays in Great Britain has been charged for sex crimes which spanned 30 years. Sixty-eight year old Dave Lee Travis has been charged with 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault on women between 1977 and 2007.

The complainants include a 15 year old girl. Travis, who was a presenter for the BBC, was once hailed by Myanmar‘s Aung San Suu Kyi for helping entertain her over the airwaves during her years in captivity in her homeland. Suu Kyi said Travis’ music request programme “A Jolly Good Show” made her world “much more complete”. Travis, real name David Patrick Griffin, is not the first BBC host to find himself in hot water over allegations of sexual misconduct.

The police have launched an investigation into late BBC TV host Jimmy Savile, one of the biggest stars in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s. Since his death in 2011, unprecedented numbers of sex crimes he committed have come to light. Several British TV and radio personalities have also been arrested since the inquiry. Travis has denied all the accusations against him. He is to appear at London‘s Westminster Magistrates Court on August 23.

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