Brittny Gastineau: Happy International Women’s Day
Pregnant Kate Hudson In A Bikini
Hudson was in Mexico for a bit of a getaway this weekend with boyfriend Matt Bellamy and her son Ryder. Photographers were able to snap away as Hudson clad in a white string bikini, a pair of aviators and a cover-up slung around her waist made her way down a set of stone stairs, with her growing bump on full display.
Hudson announced in January that she and Bellamy, who fronts the British rock band Muse, were expecting. This will be the second child for Hudson, who had son Ryder with her exhusband, Chris Robinson.
Tomb Raider' Reboot Planned By GK Films
EW reports that Graham King, best known for producing "The Departed" and "The Town," has purchased, through his production company, GK Films, the film rights to the video game series "Tomb Raider" and its iconic gun-toting leading lady, Lara Croft.
Those rights were once held by Paramount, who made two smash hit movies based on the game, carried by a young and kick-ass Angelina Jolie. She starred in 2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and 2003's "Lara Craft: Tomb Raider ,The Cradle of Life." The films, which helped boost Jolie's rising star, made $274,703,340 and $156,505,388 worldwide, respectively, though the second film was a disappointment in domestic theaters.
To reboot the series, GK films calls for a young Lara Croft in its press release, which almost certainly means Jolie, who first played the role 10 years ago, would be aged out of the film.
In fact, in 2004, Jolie told the website Ugo.com, when they asked if she'd do another "Tomb Raider," that, "I don't think so. I just don't feel like I need to, because I felt very happy with the last one, which was kind of the one we wanted to do. The first one kind of frustrated us, because we were trying something new. The second one, I felt like that's kind of how I wanted to do it, and I don't really feel the need to do another one."
As for potential replacements, there's no official word, though one rumored potential Lara Croft, Megan Fox, has previously nixed that speculation.
The video game series, which began in 1996, has spawned 10 games, along with comic books and novels. The release from GK, via Deadline, is below:
Former Alice in Chains Bassist Mike Starr Dead at 44
The bassist was arrested just last month for felony possession of a controlled substance. He was found with six Xanax and six painkiller pills at the time of his arrest.It's a terrible shock and tragedy," Starr's father told TMZ on Tuesday.
Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness. So very sad. Our prayers are with his family," Dr. Drew Pinsky Tweeted. Starr appeared on the third season of 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew' in 2009.
Starr was the original bassist of Alice in Chains and played on their first studio album, We Die Young. During his stint on 'Celebrity Rehab,' Starr confessed he was kicked out of the rock band in 1993 because of his drug problem.
Max Pacioretty stretchered off after devastating Zdeno Chara hit
Chara was given a 5-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The refs declared the period over. The Canadiens told the AP that Pacioretty was "conscious and moving his extremities when he was taken to the hospital for observation."
Scary, scary scene ... but was it intentional? Clearly, Pacioretty had nudged the puck ahead and Chara finished a check to take him out of the play. The interference call was correct; the major was based on the injury. Was it a case of reckless play by Chara or simply unfortunate geography for the hit on Pacioretty?
Here's how NESN in Boston saw the play, with Gord Kluzak on the analysis.
Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe reports that Pacioretty is "OK at local hospital. Full use of limbs."
Here's CSNNE's Joe Haggerty with words from Chara, who came off the Bruins team bus to speak with reporters.
Landslide Lyrics: What Does Glee Landslide Mean
Glee’s “Landslide” lyrics have people wondering what exactly does the song “Landslide” mean in the Glee storyline of Brittany and Santana?
Watch the Glee video of Landslide, sung by guest star Gwyneth Paltrow, with Brittany and Santana.
Santana, it seems, wants to sing “Landslide,” by Fleetwood Mac, to express her feels toward Brit. Later, Santana exposes her love for Brittany, but alas no lesbian relationship is in the cards because Brittany is with Artie.
MTV News has the scoop on what Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks shared about the meaning of Landslide in 1998′s VH1′s “Storytellers:”
Nicks explained, “Everybody, everybody seems to think that I wrote this song about them — everybody in my family, all my friends, everybody. And my Dad, my Dad did have something to do with it, but he absolutely thinks that he was the whole, complete reason that it was ever written.”
Nicks also explained how she wrote the song: “[Bandmate] Lindsey [Buckingham] and I went up to Aspen and we went to somebody’s incredible house and they had a piano and I had my guitar with me and I went in their living room, looking out over the incredible Aspen sky and I wrote “Landslide.”
Glee Afternoon Delight Ringtone
Glee – Afternoon Delight Ringtone
gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
gonna grab some afternoon delight.
my motto’s always been; when it’s right, it’s right.
why wait until the middle of a cold dark night.
when everything’s a little clearer in the light of day.
and you know the night is always gonna be there any way.
sky rockets in flight. afternoon delight. afternoon delight.
thinkin’ of you’s workin’ up my appetite
looking forward to a little afternoon delight.
rubbin’ sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite
and the thought of rubbin’ you is getting so exciting.
sky rockets in flight. afternoon delight. afternoon delight.
started out this morning feeling so polite
i always though a fish could not be caught who wouldn’t bite
but you’ve got some bait a waitin’ and i think i might try nibbling
a little afternoon delight.
sky rockets in flight. afternoon delight. afternoon delight.
please be waiting for me baby when i come around.
we could make a lot of lovin’ ‘for the sun goes down.
sky rockets in flight. afternoon delight. afternoon delight.
[repeat chorus.]
Glee – Afternoon Delight Ringtone
Afternoon Delight: Afternoon Tea at Provence Marinaside
Situated on the Yaletown waterfront, the popular Provence Marinaside is a warm, inviting restaurant whose Afternoon Tea is the perfect way to while away an afternoon with friends or family. My girlfriends and I used the Afternoon Tea to celebrate a friend’s birthday recently, and it was such a joy: not only did we get to indulge in a delicious selection of goodies, including the requisite scones, plus smoked salmon, sun-dried tomato and spinach mini quiches, crostinis, and lemon tartlettes, the staff let us stay as long as we wanted, well past “tea time”, so we could savour each other’s company along with the food.
At Provence Marinaside, reservations are required for Afternoon Tea because the food is a set menu included in the cost. Though there’s no choice in food items, individuals do order their own tea—Provence Marinaside has a wide selection of traditional and de-caf teas—so each person has their own, adorable tea pot.
Mike Starr's Death Leaves Fans 'Heartbroken'
"Very Sad," Cheryl wrote. "My heart goes out to everyone he left behind. Addiction is very hard to kick." Kim added: "Not only do I love Alice in Chains, but I watched Mike on 'Celebrity Rehab' and 'Sober House' and you get to where you feel like you know them. This breaks my heart in two...there are not words. RIP, Mike."
Other commenters echoed those thoughts, lamenting Starr's fatal addictions.
"Such a sad story about him," Kandi wrote. "I guess it's not a shock because I was watching him on 'Celebrity Rehab' & 'Sober House.' Drugs are no joke at all. RIP Mike Starr."
"Very sad to hear. My thoughts are with his family," said fellow "Celebrity Rehab" viewer Michiangel. "I watched him struggle on 'Celebrity Rehab' and really hoped that he would surpass his addiction."
Teegee16 hoped other addicts would take Starr's death to heart: "They say you can't scare an addict but here's proof again that we can most certainly die from drugs. Hopefully he didn't die in vain and someone out there got the message about how serious addiction is."
"I am so heartbroken, I don't have words," Sometimes_Charlotte wrote. "My heart goes out to his family. He meant a lot to me; I have personal reasons for this. I can only imagine how devastated his family is."
Other fans remembered Starr's musical legacy as bassist for Alice in Chains from their inception in the late '80s until 1993.
"Rest in peace brother," Thorum wrote. "Thanks for the music and good times!!"
"You made a difference in my life, however humble that might be," James A. Brennan wrote to Starr. "Rest in peace dude."
Kevin called out his favorite album by the band: "Alice in Chains, Dirt...no substitute. God bless."
This isn't the first loss for Alice in Chains fans: Frontman Layne Staley died of a drug overdose back in 2002.
"Another great loss to the band and great bassists; too young brother," Joe wrote.
Suze Orman on the 'New' American Dream
"Dionne is somebody who chose life over financial death," Orman said. "She is somebody who set her goal on the fact that she wanted her child to go to college, she did not want to get in credit card debt, she wanted to do it the right way and no one was going to stop her. She is living the American dream."
In her 10th and most recent book, "The Money Class," Orman writes about the death of the "old" American dream, which was materialistic.
"It used to be more, bigger, best," she said. "Everybody in America started to define themselves by all these things they had around them. And all of a sudden it came tumbling down. So the old American dream has died, and that is a good thing."
A good thing, she said, because those values were false. Orman said a new American dream is now emerging, rooted in reality. Family and responsibility have replaced the want for the biggest house on the block.
"It's a dream where you actually get more pleasure out of saving than you do spending," Orman said. "It's a dream where you live below your means but within your needs. You are not spending every penny, you are not impressing people. You are living a life where you can sleep at night and you are actually happy."
A million dead fish clog California marina 2011
Boaters awakened to find a carpet of small silvery fish surrounding their vessels, said Staci Gabrielli, marine coordinator for King Harbor Marina on the Los Angeles County coast. Authorities said there was also a 12- to 18-inch layer of dead fish on the bottom of the marina.
"
California Fish and Game officials said the fish were sardines that apparently depleted the water of oxygen and suffocated.
"All indications are it's a naturally occurring event," said Andrew Hughan, a Fish and Game spokesman at the scene.
The die-off was unusual but not unprecedented, he said.
"In the world of fishing this is an afternoon's catch," he noted.
Nonetheless, the scale was impressive to locals at King Harbor, which shelters about 1,400 boats on south Santa Monica Bay.
"The fishermen say they've never seen anything this bad that wasn't red tide," Hughan said, referring to the natural blooms of toxic algae that can kill fish.
Hughan said water samples showed no oils or chemicals that could have contributed to the deaths. He said some of the fish were being shipped to a Fish and Game laboratory for study but the cause was likely to be uncomplicated.
The fish appeared to have come into the marina during the night and probably couldn't find their way out, he said.
"The simplest explanation is the fish got lost. ... They get confused easily," he said.
Hughan said there was no safety issue at all but "it's going to smell bad for quite a while."
Fire Department, Harbor Patrol and other city workers set to work scooping up fish in nets and buckets. A skip loader then carried them to big trash bins. Local officials initially estimated there were millions of fish, but Fish and Game roughly estimated about 1 million.
City officials estimated the cleanup would cost $100,000. Fire Chief Dan Madrigal said the fish would be taken to a landfill specializing in organic materials.
On the water, nature was tackling the problem in other ways.
"The seals are gorging themselves," Hughan said.
Large groups of other fish could be seen nibbling at the floating mats of dead creatures.
"The sea's going to recycle everything. It's the whole circle-of-life thing," Hughan said.
Although the Fish and Game authorities were focusing on the idea that the sardines simply got confused, other theories abounded.
Hughan noted that some fishermen reported waves were coming over the harbor breakwaters during the night. That washes bird excrement off the rocks and into the marina and can cause the water to be depleted of oxygen.
Gabrielli, the marina employee, said the fish appeared to have moved into the harbor to escape a red tide, then possibly became trapped due to high winds overnight.
Ed Parnell, a marine ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography called Gabrielli's theory plausible, although generally he would expect that the wind would have mixed oxygen into the water. Parnell said these types of fish kills are more typically seen in the Gulf of Mexico or the Salton Sea, the enormous desert lake in southeastern California where millions of fish die with some regularity.
Brent Scheiwe, an official of Sea Lab, a Los Angeles Conservation Corps research program at Redondo, said the fish may have gotten trapped in the 30-foot deep marina while sheltering from rough seas overnight.
"They like to follow each other, so it only takes a few" to create a mass migration, he said.
"Over time they will find their way out, but if it's rough out there they probably stayed in shelter," he said.
Redondo Beach police Sgt. Phil Keenan said he believed a predator fish chased the sardines into the marina where their sheer numbers caused them to suffocate.
Raphael Kudela, a professor of ocean sciences at University of California, Santa Cruz, called it "unusual but not uncommon."
Kudela said sardines are not the brightest fish.
"They are that dumb actually," he said. "It's possible they were avoiding a red tide or a predator forced them into shallow water. They get into shallow water and then can't figure out how to get back out and you've got such a concentration in one small area they literally pull the oxygen down until they suffocate."
Carl Johnson, 59, and his wife, Marie, 57, came from nearby Torrance to see the fish calamity.
"We've had that stuff of the hundreds of birds dying in the Midwest and now this. ... You do think about life and death," he said.
"These fish were swimming freely yesterday," he said philosophically.
Marie Johnson added: "It's sad. It's really said.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel
Tressel projects a groomed blandness - the gray man with the gray hair in the gray sweater vest who represents integrity, loyalty, humility, self-control, academic probity.
Among the Buckeye faithful, Tressel's rectitude is punctuated as emphatically as the "i" in the marching band's famous script Ohio routine.
Adulation on campus has approached deification with signs like "God Wears Sweater Vests" and "In Tressel We Trust." He talks of sharing a parent's responsibility for his players and seems to symbolize, in his shirt-and-tie righteousness, a bygone era when football spoke to expectations of manhood.
In Columbus, it seems impossible to overstate the good will that Tressel has accrued from his 5-1 record against the Buckeye's fiercest rival, Michigan.
In a much-told story, Tressel greeted an Ohio State basketball crowd shortly after being hired in January 2001 with these words: "I can assure you that you'll be proud of our young people, in the classroom, in the community and especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan." He was the son of a renowned coach, and an Ohio native, and with one sentence Tressel demonstrated that he understood what Ohioans held dear.
Yet Tressel also has detractors who dispute the authenticity of his image, mock him on Internet message boards as CheatyPants SweaterVest and note that he has been touched by scandal both at Ohio State and Youngstown State, where he previously won four Division I-AA national championships.
At both colleges, his top quarterback took money from boosters in violation of N.C.A.A. rules. Maurice Clarett, the running back who played a vital role in Ohio State's national championship in 2002, sits in prison after a sad descent. A number of other Ohio State players has encountered legal or disciplinary problems since Tressel became head coach in 2001, and his academic record, while improving, remains mixed.
Casimir Pulaski Day 2011: Chicago, Cook County Businesses Closed
The holiday also seeks to honor the heritage of Polish-Americans--as Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw. Chicago Public Schools are closed Monday, along with Chicago libraries and Cook County courts. Some suburban and Catholic schools remain open. Parking meters must be fed, banks and financial markets remain open, federal courts remain open and mail delivery continues. There is no garbage pickup in Chicago.
The Sabina P. Logisz Great Hall of the Polish Museum of America is holding a Pulaski Day celebration at 10 a.m. which will feature speeches by Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Polish American leaders. The event will also feature Polish entertainment, a scholarship presentation and a wreath-laying ceremony. A reception follows. The museum is located at 984 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.
GLENN Beck
Meanwhile, Joel Cheatwood, a senior vice president of development for Fox News and the executive in charge of the show, thinks it’s silly to suggest that the American viewing public’s romance with Mr. Beck is on the wane he’s beating his competition but says that keeping the show upbeat is something he discusses with Mr. Beck.
We have talked about that, at his instigation,” Cheatwood said. “It is really important that no matter how dire he thinks things are or what horrible direction things may be going from his perspective that the show maintains a sense of hope.
What you see on television with Glenn is the real guy,” he added, “and that is a double-edged sword. If he is upset about something, you see it.
Mariah Carey
Angry Birds
The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles.
Angry Birds features hours of gameplay challenging physics based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 120 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy. Protect wildlife or play Angry Birds.
Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera Selling Marital Home
Aguilera shared the property, where Ozzy shot much of reality TV show The Osbournes, with husband Jordan Bratman, who she split from last year (10). Her marriage breakdown was followed by a lyrics flub at the Super Bowl last month (Feb11) and an arrest for public intoxication earlier last week (01Mar11).
Sarah Palin Sarah Palin's Parents Sleep With Guns After Threats
Sarah Palin's parents have given a frank interview to the Bbc in which they admit to fearing for their daughter's safety, and sleeping with guns themselves. Chuck and Sally addressed some of the less favourable aspects of their daughter's fame and admitted that the entire family have received death threats.
Speaking from the couple's home in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin's mother said, "As a mother I do have concerns about her safety and that of the kids she knows how I feel, that it's risky", her father added, "We sleep with the guns".
Chuck recalled a particularly unsettling package that arrived at the family's home, saying, "One guy from Pennsylvania sent us and other people copies of a gun he'd bought, copies of a receipt for a gun he bought, copies of a one way ticket to Anchorage The interview comes amid increased speculation that Palin will run as the Republican candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election.
Sarah Palin reacted to her parent's worries by telling the Bbc, "Our family is pretty thick-skinned. For the last 20 years in political office our family has put up with a lot of flak.
Katy Perry
Her face is flawless thanks to Proactiv, she relies on the Schick Quattro to keep her legs short-shorts ready and now Katy Perry's hair is getting some major love courtesy of U.K.-based hairstyling and appliance brand ghd.
"Sassy, stylish and sexy, Katy is the perfect partner for ghd," the brand's CEO, Paul Stoneham, said today.
Marc Anthony 2011
Marc Anthony (born Marco Antonio Muñiz; September 16, 1969) is a Puerto Rican-American musician, singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy-winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads.
Anthony has won numerous awards and his achievements have been honored through various recognitions. He was the recipient of the 2009 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Chair's Award. He also received the "2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award" on September 16, 2009.
Tiger Blood Drink with Machete
After “Charlie Sheen fired” headlines made the rounds Monday, Charlie Sheen was spotted by paparazzi on a rooftop, with a goddess, a machete and a drink labeled Tiger Blood to Warner Bros firing him from Two and a Half Men.
In this video clip, Sheen is seen waving the machete and is asked about being fired from Two and a Half Men. His reply? “Free at last, free at last.
Costa Rica Dispute
Costa Rica had asked the court to bar Nicaraguan troops from the disputed region and order it to halt dredging and tree felling in the region where the San Juan empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
Instead, the court on Tuesday ordered both Costa Rican and Nicaraguan forces out, and told both countries to "refrain from any actions which might aggravate or extend the dispute. Costa Rica went to the court last year claiming Nicaragua illegally sent troops and engineers into Costa Rican territory to dredge part of the river.
The area has been a source of tension between the two nations for more than a century. Costa Rica has no army but allegedly mobilized police forces to the border. When it went to court last year, the Costa Rican government also complained that the border depicted by Google maps was wrong and favored Nicaragua.
Google later corrected its version of the border, blaming faulty data from the U.S. State Department that had led to ceding as much as 1.7 miles of territory to Nicaragua.
The Nicaraguan military officer in charge of the dredging operation denied reports that he had used an erroneous Google map in planning the work, according to local media.
In Managua, the leftist government of President Daniel Ortega, a former Sandinista guerrilla leader, denied any incursion into Costa Rican territory and said its troops were on the ground to fight drug trafficking.
Nicaragua claims it is operating in its territory based on previous treaties and a 2009 decision by The Hague-based International Court of Justice.
Paczi Day 2011 Calories Day
Angelo Colazza of "Colazza's Bakery" in Parma has been making Paczkis for more than 30 years. Parma has a large Polish community and Angelo said that they follow the "When in Rome" philosophy to enjoy the Paczkis for the day before Lent.
With over 600 calories of sweet goodness packed into each fat Paczki, any thoughts of healthy living or maintaining that diet plan are thrown right out the window.
Weather you choose apple, lemon, custard or any of the other dozen flavors, remind yourself that it's only for one day and you can "Pay the Piper " for the next six weeks of Lent.
Happy Paczi Day 2011
In anticipation of this most sacred day, Bryan, my mom, and I went to “the old neighborhood” to pick up our paczki from Weber’s Bakery (you never make paczki at home). Weber’s has been serving Chicago for decades and is particularly popular with south-side Poles. My family has been shopping there since before I was born. The week leading up to fat Tuesday is always mayhem at Weber’s (both parking lots were full!), but that is part of the fun. I counted 17 sales women behind the counter!
Happy Paczki Day everyone! I hope you are celebrating, wherever you are.
Laissez les bon temps rouler, Charlie Sheen
On the latest episode of "Sheen’s Korner: Torpedoes of Truth Part 2,” a gaunt, twitchy and freshly unemployed. Sheen spent the better part of 10 minutes spouting nonsense over the phone to pal Bob Moran, who alternately attempted to focus Sheen and chortled sycophantically at his gibberish.
On a passing helicopter: “Stupid plane with nose attached.” On peddling his book of poetry solely through Kindle for environmental reasons: “I’m going to marry a tree because the other type of marriage didn’t work so I’m going to marry a tree.” On his life: “Winning winning chicken dinner. I don’t think so. Winning winning Sheen dinner. You get the picture.
Michael Woodmansee: John Foreman vow's to kill son
The boy was presumed missing until 1982 when Woodmansee, now 52, tried to lure another child into his home in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The incident led police to discover Jason’s bones in a dresser along with a journal which detailed the gruesome killing. Woodmansee is believed to have eaten his victim, but this was never proved in court because in 1983 he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder before a jury could hear the full case.
He was jailed for 40 years as part of a plea bargain meant to spare the Foreman family from hearing the grisly details of their son's death.
The incident led police to discover Jason’s bones in a dresser along with a journal which detailed the gruesome killing.
Woodmansee is believed to have eaten his victim, but this was never proved in court because in 1983 he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder before a jury could hear the full case.
He was jailed for 40 years as part of a plea bargain meant to spare the Foreman family from hearing the grisly details of their son's death.
Victim: Jason Foreman was snatched on his mother's 25th birthday. His bones were found nearly eight years later, stashed in Woodmansee's dresser
Victim: Jason Foreman was snatched on his mother's 25th birthday. His bones were found nearly eight years later, stashed in Woodmansee's dresser
Now, however, the murderer faces being parole for good behaviour by the end of the year - 12 years before his sentence is due to expire, according to the Providence Journal.
But, far from being spared pain, Mr Foreman is unable to forget his son’s death and is refusing to forgive Woodmansee. Furthermore, he is willing to risk being imprisoned himself.
‘I do intend, if this man is released anywhere in my vicinity, or if I can find him after the fact, I do intend to kill this man,’ he told WPRO-AM radio.Woodmansee, who lived up the street from the Foreman home, snatched Jason on the day the boy's mother, Joice, celebrated her 25th birthday.
As a result, what should be a time of happiness for the family, has become forever associated with pain and heartache. She remained broken-hearted until her death in 2000.Woodmansee later told police he had fantasised that ‘it would be easy [to kill someone], easy to get away with it, and some form of fun’.
For eight years, frustrated authorities conducted a nationwide manhunt for Jason, fearing he had been kidnapped.No one suspected the full, horrific truth - that a disturbed killer had taken his life, removed his flesh and hid his bones.
But in April 1982, the secret emerged when a bearded Woodmansee invited a 14-year-old newspaper delivery Dale Sherman into his house.
After giving the boy with alcohol, Woodmansee attempted to strangle the teenager.Because the allegations involved a boy, investigators decided to question him about Jason.
And despite initially denying the charges, he shortly thereafter confessed to sexually assaulting and killing the child.But after sentencing Woodmansee, Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Needham ordered his journal and all other evidence in the case sealed.
The killer, who has served nearly all of his sentence at prisons in Massachusetts for his own protection, faces huge public anger if he returns to Rhode Island.But police say they are preparing for that possibility.
‘We do not know what his plans are or if he is [planning on coming back here], but it is definitely something we plan on discussing,’ a spokesman for the South Kingstown Police Department told AOL News today.
Fat Tuesday 2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton
For Fat Tuesday, or as it is referred to in the United Kingdom, "Shrove Tuesday," Prince William and Kate Middleton traveled to Belfast and outside the city hall they took turns flipping pancakes, which is the traditional food eaten in Ireland for Shrove Tuesday, according to the AP.
The pan and pancake were there for a fundraiser for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children, but nobody had any idea that Prince William and the soon-to-be Princess Catherine would be stopping by.
Fat Tuesday is so-called because it is the day of traditionally eating rich, fatty foods before the season of fasting for Lent, which starts Wednesday (March 8, this year) with Ash Wednesday. Are you getting ready to kick of Lent (and Mardi Gras) by indulging?
William and Kate will be married April 29 and hey, at least now they know they can make each other pancakes.
Fat Tuesday 2011Rio's Mardi Carnival
Strutting on board their motorized float, chubby men wear togas while plump women sport little other than matching white bras and Bridget Jones-style granny knickers. Amid a rainbow of glittering colours, they were among samba groups opening two days of Carnival parades at Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome.
The dazzling show that included a rousing welcome for one of the elite bands that lost most of their elaborate costumes and floats in a fire last month.The Portela group made a dramatic entrance into the throbbing stadium last night, with its 300-strong percussion section abruptly quieting its thundering drums and crouching down in a moment of silence for its losses in the fire.
With silence descending over the crowd for a few seconds, the drummers leaped back up with a raucous beat as Portela's thousands of members marched on to the cheers and applause of fans.
Our community looks beautiful tonight,’ Portela president Nilo Figueredo said. ‘It is really a community of warriors. The fire in early February ripped through warehouses where Portela and two other elite samba groups were preparing for Carnival, incinerating more than 8,000 feather and glitter costumes and many of the big, meticulously decorated floats.
Portela had 3,255 outfits destroyed or severely damaged. Many wondered whether the group, which has not missed a parade in its 84-year history, would be able to put on a show at all. The two nights of lavish parades that began Sunday are watched by millions in Brazil and abroad.
Once the shock passed, however, it became clear the 2011 Carnival would be marked more than ever by the festival's quintessential ability to bring hope and happiness, even if fleeting, to those who have little. It also steeled samba group members' fierce allegiances in a city where fans are as devoted to their groups as they are to their soccer teams.
‘We're ready and we're strong - no one is sitting here sad, thinking of what we lost,’ one member, Maria Alice Alves, clad in a metallic silver and blue outfit, said before Portela marched in. Some longtime members admitted to being a bit anxious about making an entrance that could be marred by what was lost in the fire.
‘Our objective is always perfection,’ said Alessandro Meireles, a 30-year-old who has been a member of Portela's percussion section for a decade. ‘Even if we can't win, we're going to put on the show people expect of us.’
He was referring to the top-tier samba competition, in which groups vie fiercely to have their performance judged the best. There's no cash prize for first place, only a trophy and the bragging rights that last a year until the next Carnival. Portela has won the samba competition 21 times, more than any group, most recently when it shared the title in 1984.
But this year the contest's governing body decided there was no way Portela, Academicos do Grande Rio and Uniao da Ilha do Governador could recover from the fire in time, so they will not be judged. That means they don't risk being relegated to the second-tier samba competition, the fate of each year's last-place finisher.
It also meant Portela was competing only for pride Sunday night - and celebrating its comeback from disaster.Police have concluded their investigation and found the fire was accidental.
Nevertheless, it wiped out months of work by the residents of Madureira, Portela's working-class home base, and dealt a devastating blow to the neighbourhood's seamstresses, construction workers and salesgirls who leave behind their workaday lives once a year when they take on their glamorous Carnival alter egos in the Sambadrome.
Bianca Monteiro, 22, recalled how she cried in February when she saw on TV the thick smoke rising from the warehouses.
Now in her fifth year as one of the ‘passistas,’ the fit young dancers who showcase the group's best samba dancing skills, Monteiro feared the worst for Portela, where her father helps keep the 4,000 performers moving along in harmony and six other relatives also parade. We're all blue-blooded to the core,’ Monteiro said, a reference the group's blue and white colours.
