Friday, February 18, 2011

Lexus supercar birthday gift for Paris Hilton


Celebrity heiress and socialite Paris Hilton got an extra special 30th birthday surprise when she was gifted a Lexus LFA supercar by her entrepreneur boyfriend, Cy Waits.

The Lexus isn't an obvious choice for the heiress, even if its sizeable £330,000 price tag is fitting.

The LFA is considered to be an edgy, hardcore driver's car that'll be a whole lot more difficult to drive than her (bright pink) Bentley Continental.

With a high-revving 4.8-litre V10 engine and 552bhp output, a paddle-shifted gearbox and suspension set up for track driving, the LFA is more suited to the Nürburgring circuit than Beverly Hills.

Waits initially gave a yellow LFA to Hilton as a prank, though Hilton later revealed by Twitter that her own car would actually be pearl white.

Naturally, the presenting of the car was caught on camera as Paris is being filmed for her new reality show.

Miley Cyrus: Why Is Her Dad So Surprised?


You have to feel sorry for Billy Ray Cyrus, who just emptied the entire contents of his achy breaky heart into a long interview with GQ magazine.

Among other things, he said he regrets ever letting Miley star in Disney's "Hannah Montana" franchise. Related: Disney not surprised by Billy Ray Cyrus' negative 'GQ' comments

But you kind of have to wonder what took the guy so long.

Almost three years ago, MSN Movies ran a Mom and Pop Culture column I wrote that asked whether she was the next Britney Spears. At the time, her sexy image and public proclamations of virginity seemed at odds with each other -- or worse, a crass marketing ploy that made her seem safe to parents (she's a virgin!) while thrilling to kids (so shiny and pretty!).

Fast forward to today. Miley has turned 18. Her TV show is over. Her parents are splitting up. She's the subject of a running gag on "Saturday Night Live." She was caught on video smoking a legal hallucinogen, and now the people who love her most are starting to worry?

In Billy Ray's defense, he admits he made mistakes as a dad, especially in trying to be a friend to his kids. Hell, yeah."

This point matters -- a lot.

When you forget that most people have to work a lot harder and be a lot more careful about their choices because the margin between survival and ruin is only as thick as the next paycheck, you also forget that actions have consequences.

This is also the kind of thinking that lets you excuse your child's bad behavior and bad decisions as youthful indiscretions instead of as big, fat warning signs. If parents aren't there dishing out actual consequences, how's a kid supposed to learn anything but that the normal rules of life don't apply?

What does it really matter as long as they can keep working and making millions?

We live in this strange time where young talent is disproportionally revered.

If you're 15, great-looking, and can sing and dance, there's a chance you could become a megastar before you get your driver's license.

But if you wait too long to reach for the brass ring, you might miss your chance. Heck, look at "American Idol." Forget it.

What's unlikely to change things for Billy Ray Cyrus, though, is talking to magazines like GQ about all this business. Michael Lohan, who seems to send out weekly press releases about his daughter and her travails, hasn't managed to keep Lindsay Lohan from self-destructing. At various times, she even blamed her dad for her troubles.

There's a time and a place for parenting. The time is when your kids are kids. The place is at home -- not in the media. The media are not friends to celebrities, especially the young ones. The fawning press, the Barbara Walters "most fascinating" interviews, these are part of the problem. Same goes for the entertainment companies that create these publicity machines that shoot stars into orbit with little thought of keeping them in something resembling an atmosphere of sanity.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

David Guetta's Next Project: Taio Cruz




If you’re an artist, the person you want to be working with is David Guetta. He’s made Kelly Rowland, Akon and Fergie’s hits all soar to the top of the charts, and now he’s ready to take on a hot new act: Taio Cruz. We fell in love with the British boy’s sound, which has been earning him a lot of success across the pond. People are already calling it the “song of the summer.”

With all this momentum, it makes sense Cruz is teaming up with the iconic Guetta. We actually worked together before he hit the big time. Stay tuned, because this seems like just the beginning for Taio Cruz.

Usher - Usher Saw Special Talent In Bieber



Usher says the first time he met his pop apprentice Justin Bieber he knew he had an incredible talent.

Usher knew Justin Bieber was special as soon as they met.

The 'OMG' hitmaker mentors the 16-year-old pop sensation and although he didn't realise how successful Justin would go on to be, he knew the talented youngster had star quality at their first meeting.

I thought, 'OK, if this is properly nourished it could become huge.' Usher still thinks he is the right person to guide Justin in his career because there are so many similarities in them as artists.

I felt like I had a great talent."

The 'OMG' hitmaker mentors the 16-year-old pop sensation and although he didn't realise how successful Justin would go on to be, he knew the talented youngster had star quality at their first meeting.

I thought, 'OK, if this is properly nourished it could become huge.' Usher still thinks he is the right person to guide Justin in his career because there are so many similarities in them as artists.

I felt like I had a great talent."

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Why I don't force my kids to say 'please'... or walk on schedule


Former "Blossom" actress Mayim Bialik believes in allowing children to develop at their own pace, whether it comes to motor skills or manners.

 By current conventional standards both of my sons qualified for speech, occupational and physical therapy and I gave them none. Both walked at a ripe 17 months, my older son did not speak sentences until well after 3, my younger son, age 2, communicates exceedingly well with signs and gestures but has not uttered a two-word phrase or even an “appropriately” formed word. Barring outstanding medical concerns, I believe in letting children progress in their own way and pace, modeling behavior while respecting the innate development of a child as an autonomous and purposeful creature. I believe that children, like adults (and perhaps better than most adults?), generally know what works for them.
Although the “delays” my sons displayed can be markers for autism, autism-spectrum disorders or developmental delays, I trust my intuition and I trust our pediatrician. My kids are fine.

Share. I go nuts when I am at the park with my kids and parents hover over children, alternatively scolding them for not sharing toys with my kids and scolding my kids for not sharing with theirs. Here’s my deal: when my kid is done with that toy, they’ll give your kid a turn, and if your kid is not done with a toy, my kid can go ahead and wait, even if they throw the tantrum to end all tantrums about it. My husband and I learned this philosophy from an amazing educator who taught the “Parent & Me” classes we attended with our boys. She promised us that if we modeled sharing by focusing on the feelings a child exhibits when they want something desperately, our child would learn to share from the heart: instinctively, compassionately, generously. In much the same way as we learned to model sharing, we model manners. Before our sons were old enough to do so spontaneously, my husband and I would say “water please” when our sons needed water, and we would say “thank you” when they got it. As our sons got older, there were a handful of times when family members clearly expected a “thank you” for a gift, and I was very tempted to whisper, “Say thank you!” But we have stayed the course and our older son now remembers with just a gentle nod from us if he forgets.

Excel. Yes, you can teach your 2 or 3 year old to recite alphabets, learn colors and shapes and songs and dances and poems by heart, but is this really what a child needs? I’m not saying it’s not fun to teach your children things, but if not for the standards of our dominant educational system, is there any inherent value in a child knowing colors as soon as possible? Letting children achieve on their own time frame and in their own way works for us. We feel that we are letting the true desires of our children develop. People are often shocked when they see what our children don’t know, but our sons are healthy, inquisitive, curious, fun, gentle, and thriving. I have heard people say that those who force their kids to share, be polite, and excel on adult terms are really just creating children who are monkeys, imitating behavior without independently experiencing it or really understanding it. Well, for a lot of reasons, from my childhood to my doctorate, I believe strongly in conscious, child-centered parenting. The spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network and a certified lactation educator, Bialik is writing a book about attachment parenting, and she has two sons, Miles, 5, and Frederick, 2.

Pitbull Calls Jennifer Lopez 'A Hurricane'


Pitbull describes Jennifer Lopez as ''a hurricane'', after working with her on her comeback single 'On The Floor'.

Pitbull describes Jennifer Lopez as "a hurricane".

The 'Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)' hitmaker said he felt "special" and that it was an "honour" to guest star on the US actor, singer and 'American Idol' judge's forthcoming comeback single, 'On The Floor' - which she has said describes a feeling "emotionally connected" to from the first time she heard it.

The Cuban American rapper said: "I definitely felt special when I got the call from Jennifer Lopez. Pitbull added he fulfilled another of his ambitions with the track, working with producer Red One - who has collaborated with Lady Gaga on huge hits including 'Just Dance' and 'Telephone' and Nicole Scherzinger on her single 'Poison'.

The record looks like it's going to be a great hit."

The 30 year old star is meanwhile poised to release his sixth album under his own name, 'Planet Pit', which he says he made with a view to uniting his fans.

He added: "I named it 'Planet Pit' to represent a planet that we've created, where no matter where you're from you can communicate and enjoy each other through music. Pitbull's single 'Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)' is released on February 13.

Titanic VHS

Titanic is one of the most famous true stories which reveals romance, heroismand greed.  The film was produced by James Cameron. 

It's about a ship in 1912 which hit an iceberg and sank with thousands of people dying by hypothermia or drowning.  Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, Gloria Stewart as old Rose.

Titanic won eleven Oscars out of twelve.  Some of the sponsors of Titanic are Paramount, 20th Century fox and lightstorm.

In 2007 it was released with a huge number of customers.

Sincerely I like this film because it's romantic and it is based on a true story