Daft Punk Innovators

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The success of Daft Punk in 2013 continues. The French electronic music band, which has had an amazing year, has been given the Entertainment Innovator award by American publication The Wall Street Journal.

The bands duo -Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo- was presented with the award by Brazilian model Giselle Bundchen and hip hop star Pharrell Williams who collaborated with them on the track “Get Lucky”.

Bundchen appeared on the cover of the Wall Street Journal’s Innovator issue alongside Daft Punk.

The pair released their first album – “Random Access Memories” in almost a decade earlier this year. Along with Pharrell, the band also collaborated with Nile Rodgers, Todd Edwards and Giorgio Moroder on the EP which reached platinum in six different countries. It was also UK Amazon’s best selling vinyl album of all time.

“Get Lucky” sold around 3 million copies in the USA and more than 1 million in the UK.

Daft Punk gained popularity in their homeland of France in the 1990s before they released their first album – 2005’s “Human After All”.

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Open UK Casting for Star Wars movie

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Thousands of hopefuls have been piling into London with the aim of being cast in the new “Star Wars” film during an open casting call in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The auditions are being held for the leading roles in the new sequel to the film and the producers are searching for a teenaged-girl and a young man. The auditions will move to Dublin,Glasgow, and other cities in the UK over the next week.

The roles include that of Rachel who is said to be a young woman who has lost her parents and has no other family. Rachel is 17 and is street smart and strong. The casting is for actresses over the age of 16 but look young enough to play a 17 or 18-year-old.

For the male role of Thomas actors must be at least 18 and can pass for someone between 19 and 23-years old. Thomas is said to be smart and capable but grew up without a dad and doesn’t have a strong sense of himself.

The film is set to star shooting in Spring 2014. The first sequel “Star Wars: Episode VII” is set for release in December 2015.

Harrison Ford is rumoured to be making a return for the new film although this has not been confirmed.

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Creamy Hot Cocoa, Yummy Warm

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This is the season when it gets very cold and at this time of the year there is nothing better to warm up your insides like a hot drink.

Try the Creamy Hot Cocoa on a chilly night to heat things up!

To make the creamy hot cocoa you will need 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¾ cup white sugar, 1 pinch salt, 1/3 cup boiling hot water, 3 ½ cups milk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup half-and-half cream.

To prepare, first combine the cocoa, sugar, and a pinch of salt, in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water and bring this mixture to a boil continuing to stir as it boils. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes and make sure that it doesn’t scorch.

Add the 3 ½ cups of milk and heat until it is very hot but do not boil.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Divide into several mugs and add the cream to each mug of cocoa to allow to cool to drinking temperature.

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Brawther stars a new label

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Brawther and Tristan Da Cunha have extended their reach into production by starting a new label and production outfit. The new project is entitled Dungeon Meat.

Frenchman Brawther, helped to start the Secretsundaze label and has also worked with such tracks as My Love Is Underground and Balance. He has worked under the monikers Izmo and Paris Underground Tracks.

The Leeds, England based Tristan Da Cunha was once an A and R manager 20:20 Vision.The pair previously teamed up earlier this year for a single under the Dungeon Meat title.

Their first EP, “Hold Back” will be released on Monday. It is being billed to Blunt Instruments. The EP is being compared to “the skippy, ’90s-influence house the two are known for.”

The track listing includes the on the A side Hold Back and on the flip side Losing Control, and Dark Chamber.

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Star Wars Episode VII delayed

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Star_Wars (1)The release of “Star Wars: Episode VII” has been delayed until December 18, 2015 according to a blog post on Disney and LucasFilm’s official “Star Wars” website.

The director of the film, J.J. Abrams has taken over the writing for the movie which could have something to do with the delay in plans. Abrams will work with Lawrence Kasdan having taken over the job from “Toy Story 3” penner, Michael Arndt. Arndt does not seem to be lined up to work on the script with the inclusion of Abrams and Kasdan. He was initially linked to the project to write treatments and its sequels as well as the script itself. Abrams basically dismissed Arndt in a posting on the website.

“Working with Michael was a wonderful experience and I couldn’t be a bigger fan of his or adore him more, He’s a wonderful guy and was incredibly helpful in the process”, a release from Abrams said.

It is reported that LucasFilm wanted the film delayed up until as late as 2016 but Disney refused and problems with the script appears to be at the root of the request for a delay. The script problems are believed to be why LucasFilm were seeking additional time to get the film made. “Star Wars: Episode VII” will start shooting at Pinewood Studios in Spring.

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Bordeaux Beauty

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Bordeaux is a city on the southwestern coast of France; the city where the wine comes from and is the world’s largest wine industry capital. The city sits near the Garonne River and is capital of the Aquitaine Region.

Both red and white wines are popular to the region with some of the major names being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit verdot, and Calbec.

The city s also classified as a “City of Art and History” and many parts of Bordeaux are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the sites in Bordeaux include the Bourse Palace, Saint-Andre Cathedral, Bordeaux Tramway, Allees du Tourny, Maison du Vin, and the Meriadeck Commercial Centre.

Also worth viewing are the Tour Pey-Berland, Rue Sainte-Catherine, Musee des Beaux Arts, Musee Aquitaine, and Musee d’Histoire Naturelle.

Where food is concerned there is great variety in Bordeaux. It’s possible to enjoy seafood such as oysters, cassoulet, foie gras, lamb, and charolais beef.

Some places to enjoy great Bordeaux cuisine are the Le Landais, L’Agneau, and Brasserie Bordelaise.

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Who will be Bridget Jones’s new man

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We met Bridget Jones two men Mark Darcy and Daniel in the first two movies “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” and having killed off Darcy, the British Miss will have a new love in the third installment of the series about the buxom single.

The new man is Roxby McDuff also known as Roxster. People having been trying to figure out what the new man will look like and if he will in any way match up to the ideal Darcy, played by Colin Firth.

According to Helen Fielding, who wrote the Bridget Jones series he will be “gorgeous… more handsome than his photo and merry-looking.”

In an interview with Digital Spy, Fielding also described the 29-year-old Roxster as having “a slight gap between his front teeth”, “impressive, young physique”, “Straight nose, cheekbones, brows. His eyes were hazel and twinkly.”

The new man is being described as daft and funny and likes sports and a full English breakfast. He drinks beer and also likes vodka and Red Bull.

There are several options for the role and all are young and handsome. The leading options are the British actors in the following order: Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Taylor Johnson,Matt Smith, Douglas Booth, and Tom Hughes. 

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James Murphy prepares for London tour

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Electronic musician James Murphy and the 2ManyDJs will be doing a two night tour of London, England with the Despacio project.

The New Jersey-born Murphy is co-founder of the DFA Records label and had his first single project in 2002 with the single “Losing My Edge”. His first album was released in 2005 and was entitled James Murphy.

Despacio, which is Spanish for “my space” has been described as a “one-of-a-kind custom-built sound system” and is a seven 50,000-watt, eleven-foot tall speakers for audio. Despacio will play in the borough of Hammersmith in the ballroom of the Hammersmith Town Hall on December 19 and 20. The project will be strictly on vinyl.

“We need a night here; something that was just a different thing. Let’s have a party, it’ll be regular, let’s build a sound system…,” Murphy said of the idea behind doing the London gig.

Murphy has previously deejayed under the pseudonym Death from Above. He started the LCD Soundsystem in 2001. The sound system is an electronic dance punk band. Music from the band has been on the soundtracks of movies, namely 2009’s Greenburg.

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Hot Buttered Rum drink

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Hot buttered rum drink is a beverage that is usually drunk around the holidays. The mixed drink often contains rum, butter, hot water or cider, a sweetener, and some spices which may include cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves.

These kinds of drinks are popular during cold months especially during winter. The drink is made by blending the rum batter with dark rum.

To make the hot buttered rum you will need 1 cup dark brown sugar, 4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg or mace, 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

To prepare, blend all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Then refrigerate in a sealed air-tight container for up to two months. To make the cocktail you will need 2 tablespoons refrigerated Hot Buttered Rum batter, 6 oz boiling water, 1 1⁄2 oz dark rum, 1 tablespoons light cream, and nutmeg, to garnish.

When ready, spoon the batter into a hot beverage mug, add boiling water and stir well until dissolved. Add rum and cream (if using) and stir and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

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Andalusia, land of Spain

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Andalusia is a region in southern Spain and one of the hottest regions in Europe. The capital of the region is Seville and some of the major towns include Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, and Huelva.

The region’s culture is rich with many things which seem synonymous with Spain evolving from the region including flamenco dancing and bullfighting. Culture is very important to the region and some of Spain’s most influential painters including Pablo Picasso and Daniel Vazquez Diaz hail from Andalucia.

The Moors who once inhabited the region had heavy influence on the architecture. One of the main sights of the region is the Alhambra in the city of Cordoba. Also interesting is the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Other sites include the Gran Teatro Falla, the Jaen Cathedral, Cathedral of Malaga, and the centres of Ubeda and Baez which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Festivals in Andalusia include the Malaga Film Festival, Seville Fair, and the Festival of Corpus Christi in Granada.

Food in the region is centred on olives, fish, nuts, and meat. Some dishes include ham, gazpacho. Some places to try Andalusian cuisine include Ofelia’s Restaurant, De Locos Tapas in Ronda, and La Parrala Paella Resto Bar in Granada.

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