Author: CircleMe

Why Melissa McCarthy is on fire

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melissa_mccarthy
Good things keep happening for actress Melissa McCarthy. The Mike and Molly star is reportedly in talks to star as female spy “Susan Cooper”. This news comes only a few weeks after her latest starring role alongside Sandra Bullock in the buddy-cop hit film The Heat.

The Heat opened strongly the final weekend in June with $40 million and has made almost $170 million at the box office so far. Paul Feig, who also directed McCarthy in The Heat and Bridesmaids, would be sitting in the director’s chair for Susan Cooper” as well.

McCarthy has been on a roll in her last three films. The Illinois-born actress, who has won an Emmy for her TV work, had a number one in Identity Thief earlier this year. The film made $135 million at the box office.

She was nominated for an Academy Award for Bridesmaids. McCarthy, who was paid US$10 million for The Heat, is pretty saucy off-screen too.

In an interview with the New York Times the actress responded to the New York Observer‘s film critic Rex Reed who called her “tractor-sized” and a “female hippo” in his review of Identity Thief saying that she felt bad for “someone swimming in so much hate.” McCarthy, 42, has been married since 2005 to Ben Falcone and has no children.

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Adele’s Life would make great movie

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adele
Adele is one of the biggest stars in the world. She recently became a mom and this year won her first Academy Award for the song Skyfall from the James Bond movie of the same name.Now director Tony Palmer says her real life would make excellent material for a movie.

Palmer, who directed the film about Liberace and other musicians, would love to be able to do the same about the British super star.

Palmer told Perez Hilton that he missed his chance with the singer whose debut album 19 made her a worldwide name, after he interviewed her and found her fascinating.

Adele has been top of the charts and had enormous international success since her debut. The singer-songwriter, who lives in London, won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance following her debut.

Songs such as “Someone Like You”, “Hometown Glory”, and “Chasing Pavements” have also put her on the map.Adele Adkins, 25, has said she would like to have three sons. She gave birth to her first son in October 2012.The singer owns a house in the Notting Hill community of Londu, on.

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Make the best Pancakes in the World

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pancakes
Whether you call them flap jacks, griddle cakes or by their more traditional name, pancakes are a simple light, fluffy, and tasty meal. Most popular at breakfast time, they can be enjoyed any time of day.

They can be served with maple syrup as well as with a variety of other toppings such as butter, sugar, bananas, strawberries, or blueberries and whipped cream.

The best thing about pancakes is that they are easy to make!

All you need are 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and ¼ cup buttermilk, a pinch of salt, 1 cup flour, blueberries, and cooking spray.

Combine the baking powder, white sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Whisk the egg and add milk, and butter milk.

Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until the lumps are gone.

Heat a large skillet over a medium heat and coat skillet with cooking spray. Scoop ¼ cup of mixture into skillet and cook until bubbles appear. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on either side.

Place pancake on a warm plate and top with blueberries and butter. Serve and enjoy! Pancakes can be enjoyed with cup of tea or coffee and orange juice.

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St. Martin, a double dose of delight

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St_maarten
The island of St. Martin in the Caribbean is unique. It is the smallest island in the world that is governed by two sovereign nations.

One side of the island is ruled by the Kingdom of The Netherlands and is called Sint Maarten while the other is governed by France and is known as St. Martin. It is the only land border shared by those two nations anywhere in the world.

The Dutch side’s main city is Phillipsburg while the French side’s capital is Marigot. The island is served by one airport – the Princess Juliana International Airport.

The island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten is hilly and tends to by dry. Like most of the other islands in the Caribbean it has a dry season from December to April and a wet season from June to November.

The Dutch side of the island is quite festive. A cruise ship port sits in Great Bay near Phillipsburg and tourists can enjoy fine restaurants serving French, Chinese, and Indonesian cuisine.

There are also loads of little shops where interesting jewellery and clothing can be purchased. The € is the unit of currency on the French side while the guilder is used on the Dutch side.

The main languages spoken here are English, Dutch, and Papiamento. French is the main language spoken in the other half of the island. Here is like a little slice of France in the Caribbean with exotic boutiques, cafes and patisseries all around the narrow streets. Duty free shopping with high-end brands makes St. Martin very attractive to visitors.

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Why The Wolverine rules the world

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the_wolverine
Hugh Jackman continues to prove why he is the most bankable actor in Hollywood after his new movie The Wolverine hit the top of the US weekend box office. The movie raked in US$55 million dollars from 3,924 American cinemas in its opening weekend.

The figure is however well below the US$80 million studio bosses were predicting for the film in a weekend in which it faced not much competition.

The film is currently in line with the 2011 opening of X-Men: First Class but is the lowest opening of any film in the six film’s in the FOX franchise.

That US$30 million or so notwithstanding, Jackman heads the list of actors in Hollywood who are guaranteed to draw in the crowds.

Jackman was top of the box office last Christmas with his spin as reformed prisoner Jean Valjean in the musical Les Miserables and has had success with other films including Real Steel, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Prestige, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The actor, who has a net worth of $100 million, is along with Nicole Kidman, ranked as the richest Australian actor.

He can sing dance and act. Jackman, who has hosted the annual Academy Awards, has won a Tony Award for his work in the play “The Boy From Oz” and an Emmy Award for hosting the Tony Awards.

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Billboard’s weekly top five albums

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blurred_lines
It seems the controversy over the video for Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” has helped push the song’s popularity. The song has been the number one tune on several of Billboard’s Top lists for five weeks.

The song which features Pharrell Williams and rapper T.I. heads the Billboard Hot 100 songs list, the number one song on the Radio play list, and is also the top On-Demand song. The song is also the leading tune on the list of R&B//Hip Hop combinations on Digital and Streaming songs.

The song, which is the top song in the Uk and Canada, also heads the list of tunes being selected as mobile ring tones and is the number one Songs of Summer.

Blurred Lines has certainly stirred up some heat this summer.

Earlier in the year the video for the song was banned by YouTube because the video shows nudity. It has also drawn criticism from a rape charity who says the video encourages rape and violence against women.

Miley Cyrus’s We Can’t Stop is the number two song on the Top 100 followed by Imagine Dragons by RadioActive, Get Lucky by Daft Punk, and Treasure by Bruno Mars rounding out the top five.

Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail is number one in the Top 200 Albums list and is also the leading album on the Digital Albums list.

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A festival that can be eaten

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fish_festival
When you hear the word festival you may think of a party or a celebration but did you know that a festival can also be eaten? In the Caribbean what people call festival is actually a small fried dumpling with an elongated shape made from cornmeal and flour.

Festival can be eaten alone or with fried fish or grilled or jerk chicken or pork and is a very popular food on the beaches of Jamaica where fried fish and festival is a dietary staple.

Festivals are very easy to make. All you need is two cups of flour, ½ cup of cornmeal, water, ¼ cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, one teaspoon of baking powder, and oil.

In a bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder together then slowly add water until the mixture is tender to touch but not too soft. Knead the mixture into a soft dough . Be careful not to knead too long or festival will be too crunchy. Cover the mixture and leave to sit on a counter for a few minutes until the dough rises slightly.

Place oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, break off small pieces of dough roll into long shapes and place in oil over a low flame. Fry until golden brown. The festival should be light. Serve when cool. Enjoy.

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Easter Island, the remotest place on earth

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Easter_island

Easter Island may just be the most remote inhabited place on earth. The Polynesian island sits all by itself in the South Pacific Ocean. The nearest other inhabited island is Pitcairn Island 1,289 miles away.

The island is closer to other islands in the Pacific Ocean such as Tahiti than it is to continental South America. It is 2,182 miles from Chile to which the island belongs.

The island was made a special territory of Chile after being annexed in 1888. Easter island, known as Rapa Nui to its 5,563 inhabitants, is famous for its more than 800 monumental monolithic stone statues known as moai created by its early inhabitants who settled the island around 1,000 CE.

It was discovered on Easter Sunday 1722 hence its name. The triangular, volcanic island is 7.6 miles at its widest point. The climate is described as a tropical rainforest climate bordering on humid subtropical climate.The early peoples were a Stone Age and worked extensively with basalt. The island has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and most of it is protected within the Rapa Nui National Park.

Petroglyphs – art carved into rocks – are also popular on the island.Easter Island has one international airport – the Mataveri International Airport and has jet services from Lan Airlines.Getting to Easter Island is now much easier than ever. It is possible to fly from Tahiti, from Lima, Peru or Santiago, Chile.

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Moscow, more than just a Red Square

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Kremlin_Basils
When one thinks of going on vacation the Russian capital of Moscow isn’t necessarily the first place you would think of visiting. Perhaps thoughts of drab buildings a throw-back to the communist era come to mind.

But the city can be interesting if you choose to look behind the drab exterior. There is definitely more to see than just the Kremlin and Red Square.

Moscow is a living homage to centuries of political, cultural and religious history.

The Kremlin is of course a must see. The building is Russia’s political and historical centre

Red Square is the heart of Moscow with the 16th century St. Basil’s Cathedral one of the most famous churches and in fact pieces of architecture in the world.

Another famous religious building is the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which dominates the skyline along the Moscow River.

The Gulag History Museum is dedicated to the labour camps which once dominated the Soviet Union. Guides dressed as guards are available to give a guided tour of the facility. At the Tretyakov Gallery one can view the best collection of Russian icons and other pieces of pre-revolutionary Russian art.

The city also has over 100 parks where one can just sit back and relax and enjoy the view.

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A complete English breakfast, a meal that will keep you full

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english_breakfast
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day but for many persons it is often nothing more than a slice of toast, orange juice, or cereal and milk. The traditional English breakfast is a deviation from that.

The meal is extremely popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland appeals to middle and upper classes and is designed to keep you full.

The breakfast is considered a staple of English cuisine and is served in hotels, airports, and restaurants during the week or weekends at bed and breakfasts and is also often served in pubs as an all-day breakfast.

Breakfast suggests early morning but the meal is also popular at other times of the day.

The breakfast consists of grilled sausages, bacon, tomatoes, eggs which can be done in a variety of ways including poached, scrambled or fried, baked beans, bread, and hash browns. Some recipes include black pudding.

Start by grilling or frying the sausages. While the sausages are being prepared put the bacon and tomatoes on the grill cooking at medium heat. The tomatoes should be cut lengthways and sprinkled with salt.

Cook mushrooms in a separate pan in chicken stock for 10-15 minutes. Leave the eggs until last. Leave the other items in a warm oven in the meantime.

Arrange everything on a plate. Serve and eat. The breakfast can be taken with a cup of tea or coffee.

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