ALCATRAZ - Fox TV - First Look Trailer

Uploaded by FoxBroadcasting on May 16, 2011

ALCATRAZ is coming to FOX midseason 2012!

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Dr. Dre Was A Pimp Before He Was 10

Dr. Dre was still pissing the bed and already getting more chicks than you ever will. The best part was indirectly telling the crowd that he’s moving in on his dad’s game. Classic.

San Francisco man becomes first in history to be ‘cured’ of AIDS

By Stephen C. Webster
From http://www.rawstory.com/

Timothy Ray Brown, a 45-year-old San Francisco man previously known to the medical community as “the Berlin patient,” has become the first person to ever be cured of AIDS.

After a stem cell bone marrow transplant, doctors say his HIV, the infection which causes AIDS, was eradicated.

His bone marrow donor was one of a very small percentage of people who are immune to HIV. He received a second bone marrow transplant after a resurgence of Leukemia, which he’s also since been cured of.

Doctors still aren’t exactly sure what part of his treatment allowed his body to purge the virus, but clinical trials are scheduled to begin in 2012.

This video is from CBS San Francisco, broadcast Monday, May 17, 2011.

Much-Anticipated Trailer for Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin' Arrives

By John Mitchell
From http://blog.moviefone.com/



Yesterday, we got a first look at the U.S. and U.K. teaser posters for director Steven Spielberg's Peter Jackson–produced 3D motion-capture animation adaptation of Belgian artist Georges "Hergé" Remi's comic book series 'The Adventures of Tintin.' Today, we get the trailer.

Aside from a few still images and the poster, Spielberg has kept 'Tintin' a mystery. But from the looks of things, the director's affinity for revolutionary special effects ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'Jurassic Park') has been put to good use here, with the motion-capture technology pioneered by Spielberg's real-life friend and 'Back to the Future' collaborator Robert Zemeckis looking sharper than ever.

However, one secret remains: Where is the rest of the film's title? The full title had been 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,' however, the subtitle is absent from both the poster and the trailer.

Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig star in the flick, which hits theaters Dec. 23. Check out 'The Adventures of Tintin' trailer after the jump.

The Bulletproof Dog That Stormed Bin Laden's Lair

BY Elbert Chu
FROM http://www.fastcompany.com/

If you see this dog coming for you, run. Thanks to his extensive training--and customized body armor that can cost upwards of $30,000--he's bulletproof, can hear through concrete, and can record high-def video of missions, even in the dead of night.

149diggsdigg Since the moment it was revealed that the "nation's most courageous dog" [Update: named "Cairo"] served alongside the 80 Navy SEALs who took out Osama bin Laden, America's fascination with war dogs has hit a fevered pitch. And while the heart-tugging photos of these four-legged heroes are worth a look, so is the high-tech gear that helps them do their job.

Last year, the military spent $86,000 on four tactical vests to outfit Navy Seal dogs. The SEALs hired Winnipeg, Canada-based contractor K9 Storm to gear up their four-legged, canine partners, which it has used in battle since World War I. K9 Storm’s flagship product is the $20,000-$30,000 Intruder, an upgradeable version of their doggie armor (you can check out the full catalogue here). The tactical body armor is wired with a collapsible video arm, two-way audio, and other attachable gadgets.

"Various special ops units use the vest, including those in current headlines," says Mike Herstik, a consultant with International K-9, who has trained dogs from Israeli bomb-sniffing units to the Navy SEALSs. "It is much more than just body armor."

The big idea behind the armor add-ons boils down to a simple one: the key to any healthy relationship is communication. Each dog is assigned one human handler. To operate efficiently in a tactical situation, they need to be connected.

So how much high-tech connectivity does a dog get for $30,000 anyway?

Using a high-def camera mounted on the dog's back, handlers can see what the dog sees, using handheld monitors. Jim Slater, who cofounded K9 Storm with his wife Glori, says footage is stable because the entire module is sewn into the vest. With unpredictable light conditions, like middle-of-the-night missions, the camera adjusts automatically to night vision. The lens is protected by impact-resistant shielding. And since we're talking about SEALs notorious for amphibious assaults, the system is waterproof.

In Abbottabad, the patented load-bearing harness would have enabled a Navy SEAL handler to rappel from the helicopter with his dog strapped to his body. Once in the compound, the dog could run ahead to scout as the handler issued commands through an integrated microphone and speaker in the armor. The proprietary speaker system enables handlers to relay commands at low levels to the dog. "Handlers need to see and hear how their dog is responding," said Slater. "In a tactical situation, every second counts." The encrypted signal from dog to handler penetrates fortified barriers like concrete, steel-fortified ships, and tunnels. That translates to standard operating ranges up to four football fields.

The armor itself protects against shots from 9mm and .45 magnum handguns. Slater is a veteran police dog trainer and built the first vest after a prison riot. He realized he wore full riot gear, while his K9 partner, Olaf, was basically naked. So he started making vests. The weave technology catches bullets or ice picks like a mitt wrapping around a baseball; knives and sharpened screw drivers wielded by prisoners require tighter weaves.

Keeping the armor strong, but light, is a priority. "Every gram counts for our clients. So we prefer advanced fibers and innovative textiles," said Slater. "The entire communication module is 20 ounces." The average armor weighs between three to seven pounds, depending on the size of the dog and the level of protection.

They’ve even gone stealth. A silent hardware system prevents any metal to metal contact--you won't hear any jangling or see any reflective give-aways. K9 took the average 150-gram V-ring and developed a 5-gram version made of a Kevlar, poly-propylene, and nylon fiber blend. "It’s actually stronger, rated to 2,500 pounds. Completely silent, and ultralight," said Slater.

Of course, these systems don't come cheap--and it's the dogs themselves that are the real investment. The Navy’s first Master Military Working Dog Trainer (a trainer of other dog trainers), Luis Reyes emailed from Afghanistan: "There are many products that help MWDs [military work dogs] and many are ‘cool’ but not necessary. No amount of money can replace the life of a canine that saves the precious lives of our troops in harm's way."

Although new tech is the buzz, what put K9 Storm on the map is dedication to customization. Its mainstay dog armor is the more-affordable $2,000-$3,000 base model. Each vest they make is custom sized for the dog. "The fit has to be perfect or it will flop around," said Slater. That hinders mobility, or worse, can cause injury.

Clients can measure dogs themselves, or Slater will fly out for dog fittings. They’ve done 15-pound West Highland Terriers--which look like playful white puffballs but were bred to scare badgers out of holes, and are helpful in drug raids with confined spaces like air ducts. On the other end are St. Bernards, which push 240 pounds.

K9's client list spans 15 countries, from China to Switzerland. Buyers include SWAT teams, police and corrections agencies, security firms, search and rescue units, and border patrols. Slater and 12 employees spent years developing a proprietary computer-assisted design program to translate measurements into accurate patterns, which are hand sewn. However, it's as much a tech company as it is an armor manufacturer.

The next phase of development includes plans for remote-delivery systems and enhanced accessory functionality. They describe a system that would help dogs transport medical supplies, walkie-talkies, or water into constricted areas like rubble. They're also planning new appendages like air-level quality meters for mines.

No word on mounting mini heat-seeking missiles just yet. So, for now, bad guys will only have to tussle with highly-trained fangs exerting 700 pounds of pressure per square inch.

Follow @fastcompany on Twitter.

[Image courtesy K9 Storm]

Web-Financed Space Nazi Comedy Iron Sky Will Open in 2012

by Jen Yamato
from: http://www.movieline.com/

As the saying goes, it takes a village… and when the long-gestating Nazi comedy Iron Sky finally hits theaters next year, we’ll have many folks to thank. (Including crowdfunding backers and financiers from the U.K., Australia, Germany, and Finland.) Iron Sky explains that the Nazis didn’t just disappear when World War II ended — they relocated to the moon to regroup and hatch a space invasion of Earth (or, “meteorblitzkrieg”) in 2018. After the jump, the latest grindhouse-y teaser!

Added bonus, of course: Iron Sky stars the incomparable Udo Kier, Mauser from The Matrix films (Christopher Kirby), and a giant space zeppelin. So, you know. Totally there come April 2012.

Full synopsis from the Iron Sky website:

Towards the end of World War II the Nazi scientists made a significant breakthrough in anti-gravity. From a secret base built in the Antarctic, the first Nazi spaceships were launched in late ‘45 to found the military base Schwarze Sonne (Black Sun) on the dark side of the Moon. This base was to build a powerful invasion fleet and return to take over the Earth once the time was right.

Now it’s 2018, and it’s the time for the first American Moon landing since the 70′s. Meanwhile the Nazi invasion, that has been over 70 years in the making, is on its way, and the world is goose-stepping towards its doom. The three main characters of the story are Renate Richter (Julia Dietze), Klaus Adler (Götz Otto), and James Washington (Christopher Kirby).

And an explanation of the unique community “cloud financing” that made Iron Sky possible:

What makes Iron Sky special is the wide ranging collaboration with fans and community: the movie project fans join in creating ideas and content for the movie in a collaborative movie making platform called Wreckamovie, give the film publicity by sharing information online, even fund the movie by designing and buying merchandise and other means. One million euros of the budget comes from fan funding.

According to the teaser, Iron Sky will arrive April 4, 2012 although specifics on North American distribution have yet to be announced.

[THR, Iron Sky Official Site]

Archaeologists Bring Mona Lisa’s Top Model to Light

From: http://www.history.com/

Archaeologists in Florence, Italy, are digging for the bones of the woman who may have sat for Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic and enigmatic “Mona Lisa,” which now hangs in the Louvre. With the help of ground-penetrating radar machines, they are on the verge of unsealing a tomb thought to contain the remains of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the most widely accepted candidate for the world-renowned painting’s model. The team hopes that facial reconstruction technology will finally put a name to one of the most recognizable and cryptic expressions in portraiture.

Over the years, scholars have debated the true inspiration behind what may be the most famous half-smile in history. Proposed sitters for the “Mona Lisa” have included da Vinci’s mother Caterina, Princess Isabella of Naples, a Spanish noblewoman named Costanza d’Avalos and Cecilia Gallerani, who posed for an earlier painting, “The Lady With an Ermine.” Some of the more provocative theories emphasize the subject’s masculine facial features, suggesting that da Vinci based the portrait on his own likeness or that of his longtime apprentice and possible lover, Gian Giacomo Caprotti, known as Salai, who inherited the work after his mentor’s death. (In February 2011, the art historian Silvano Vinceti, who is leading the current dig, intriguingly pointed out that the title “Mona Lisa” could be interpreted as an anagram for “Mon [French for ‘my’] Salai.”)

In 2008, researchers at Heidelberg University announced they had cracked the puzzle of Mona Lisa’s identify after finding a handwritten note in the margin of a 500-year-old manuscript, penned by a Florentine clerk who admired da Vinci. The note, dated October 1503, states that the artist was working on a portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, a wealthy silk merchant’s wife whom art historians have long considered the leading candidate for the famous painting’s model. When da Vinci bequeathed the portrait to Salai, he referred to it as “La Gioconda,” the Italian word for playful, which may also have been a pun on the feminine form of Gherardini’s married name.

One year before the note’s discovery, an amateur historian tracked down a death certificate for Gherardini—who became a nun during her widowhood—showing she had died at 65 on July 15, 1542, and was buried in Florence’s Saint Ursula convent. The site, which dates back to 1309, was converted into a tobacco factory in the 19th century and sheltered World War II refugees during the 1940s and 1950s. Saint Ursula later fell into disrepair and remained empty until recent weeks, when archaeologists used ground-penetrating radar machines to search for graves under the three-story complex’s concrete floor. They broke ground on May 9, uncovering a layer of ancient bricks and what they believe to be steps leading to Gherardini’s tomb.

Once they unseal the crypt, the team hopes to hand over skull bones to the paleoanthropologist Francesco Mallegni, who will use them to reconstruct Gherardini’s face and try to discern the haunting features of the “Mona Lisa.” The researchers will also attempt to verify Gherardini’s identify by comparing the remains’ genetic material to DNA from her children, who are known to be buried at Florence’s Santissima Annunziata church.

While this exercise may help determine just whose eyes millions of observers have been staring into for five centuries, it did not immediately sit well with Gherardini’s descendants. In late April, Natalia Guicciardini Strozzi, a member of one of Florence’s oldest noble families, told the The Telegraph that the excavation was “a sacrilegious act.” After visiting the site and meeting with Silvano Vinceti and his team, however, she shed some of her earlier reservations, saying, “At first the thought of the dig horrified me but now I am fascinated.”

SETI Turns Radio Telescopes Toward Kepler Candidate Planets, Listening for Signs of Life

Listening to places where conditions are right for life

By Rebecca Boyle

From http://www.popsci.com/

Is There Anybody Out There? The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope, is listening to 86 Kepler candidate Earth-like planets in the hopes of hearing from alien life. Wikimedia Commons

A gigantic radio telescope in Virginia has started listening to 86 Earth-like planet candidates identified by the Kepler Space Telescope, hoping to hear signs of alien life. Astronomers aren’t even sure the stars to which they are listening actually harbor planets, let alone radio-communicating extraterrestrials, but hey, we might as well bend an ear, right?

The SETI Institute is looking at Earth-like (rocky) planets with a focus on those with temperatures between 0 and 100 °C (32° and 212 °F), where liquid water can exist. As far as our Earth-biased science can tell us, that’s a crucial ingredient for life.SETI has been listening to parts of the sky for decades, but pointing directly at Kepler findings stands among the project’s best-informed attempts yet. The Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico looks at stars like the sun, hoping they might have planets around them.

“But we’ve never had a list of planets like this before,” said physicist Dan Werthimer, director of the SETI project at Arecibo, in an interview with AFP.

In February, Kepler scientists announced they had found 1,235 potential planets orbiting sun-like stars in the Milky Way, including 68 approximately Earth-size and 288 super-Earth-size. Scientists have been verifying and refining the measurements in the months since.

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope will gather 24 hours of data on each of 86 planets identified this spring by the Kepler space telescope science team as potential Earth-like planets in “Goldilocks” orbits, where conditions are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water.

SETI has its own telescopes, too, but apparently they’ve gone dark for a lack of funding, according to the AFP — SETI announced last month it was shutting down its 42-dish Allen Telescope Array because of a budget shortfall, AFP reports. While the 4-year-old, $50 million project is on hiatus, the Green Bank telescope will assume its responsibilities.

While Arecibo will also keep listening, Green Bank can hear a lot more — it scans 300 times the range of frequencies that Arecibo can, so it can collect as much data in one day as Arecibo could in one year.

The Kepler listening project will take about a year, AFP reports. SETI@home users will help crunch the data; the program uses small bits of unused processing power from idle Internet-connected computers to run calculations. You can find out more, and sign up to help, by clicking here.

[AFP]

Danger Mouse Teams Up with Jack White on Cinematic 'Rome'

Also: Stream new music by Tyler the Creator, Moby, Tinie Tempah, Cass McCombs and Britney Spears

From: http://www.rollingstone.com/

By Matthew Perpetua

In this week's slate of Rolling Stone reviews, Will Hermes approves of superproducer Danger Mouse and composer Daniele Luppi's Rome, a "15-track score to a film that exists only in your head" featuring vocals by Jack White and Norah Jones. He says that the tracks featuring White and Jones are quite good, but ultimately the record "is as much about sublime instrumentals — made of celesta, harpsichord, Hammond organ, strings, nasty funk guitar and those weird-ass choirs — as lead singers." Also, Jon Dolan praises Tyler, the Creator's controversial new album Goblin, observing that despite all the rapper's bile, his songs hint at a "boyish innocence." Lauren Sloss is less fond of songwriter Cass McCombs' latest, Wit's End, which she says is "difficult to listen to without a side of Prozac, or at least a stiff drink."

ALBUMS

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome (stream full album)

Tyler, the Creator - Goblin (stream one song)

The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain (stream one song)

Sixx: A.M. - This Is Gonna Hurt (stream one song)

Curren$y - Covert Coup (stream one song)

Cass McCombs - Wit's End (stream one song)

Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy (stream one song)

Ben Harper - Give Till Its Gone (stream one song)

Iggy Pop - Roadkill Rising: The Bootleg Collection

Moby - Destroyed (stream one song)

Matthew Morrison - Matthew Morrison (stream one song)

Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings (stream one song)

The Kinks - Kinda Kinks

The Kinks - Kontroversy

The Kinks - The Kinks

Aretha Franklin - A Woman Falling Out of Love

The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave (stream one song)

SONGS

Britney Spears featuring Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha "Till the World Ends (The Femme Fatale Remix)" (stream)

Bad Meets Evil "Fast Lane" (stream)

Miley Cyrus "Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live)" (stream)

Fox will reboot 'The Flintstones'

by Lynette Rice and James Hibberd
from http://insidetv.ew.com/

Image Credit: Everett Collection

Yabba dabba do, Seth MacFarlane will finally achieve his dream! The mastermind behind Family Guy will reboot the classic animated series The Flintstones for Fox.

Fox execs made the announcement at the network’s presentation today in New York. The show will go in production this fall for a 2013 launch. “One of the first things I ever drew was Fred Flintstone,” MacFarlane told advertisers. As for his re-imagination, he said the show has to keep up with the times but some things will remain familiar for old fans. “The characters will look the same but the only thing that will change is the stories,” he said. “What’s the [prehistoric] version of an iPod?”

Dan Palladino (Gilmore Girls) and Kara Vallow (Family Guy) will also serve as exec producers.

In case you’ve been living under a rock (d’oh!), The Flintstones follows two hard-working middle-class families living with the “contemporary conveniences” in the dinosaur-era town of Bedrock. The series centers on Fred Flintstone and his best friend and sidekick Barney.

NBC rejects 'Wonder Woman'

by Lynette Rice
from http://insidetv.ew.com/

Image Credit: Richard Beetham/Splash News

Well that was fun (to make fun of) while it lasted. EW has learned that NBC passed on the much buzzed-about Wonder Woman pilot from David E. Kelley and Warner Bros. TV.

Kelley had penned a script that updated the comic book classic to have Diana Prince as CEO of a major conglomerate by day and a butt-kicking Amazon (with a fleet of cool planes) by night. Kelley’s take asked for lots of heart-thumping, contemporary music, and at one point the Boston Legal writer even requested a commercial-free premiere for the pilot if it aired.

Why did the ‘ol girl fail to pass muster?

NBC isn’t saying for now but scuttlebutt reveals the pilot earned mixed reviews at test screenings. And then there was all the online blow back about the costume – which seemed to de-emphasize the patriotism and play up the comic’s Greek mythology. Ultimately, the wardrobe department went back to the drawing board but that didn’t seem to save the project.

Big bummer for Adrianne Palicki — a budding star from Friday Night Lights who deserved a leading role on the fall lineup. Maybe she can fill the void left by Minka Kelly on Parenthood and be the hot gal who keeps messing with Crosby’s mind. Or…Warner Bros. TV may try to shop the pilot elsewhere. But who would take a gamble on a pilot that NBC rejected?

Also not making the cut: Don Johnson’s return to TV in Mann’s World, a drama about a hairstylist, and the Civil War-era Western Reconstruction and Ron Moore’s magic cops drama 17th Precinct.

Also in the current NBC news-pocalypse pre-upfront frenzy: NBC has renewed Chuck for a final season, has cancelled The Event, greenlit Chelsea Handler’s sitcom and ordered dramas about Playboy and others.

Here’s why we think it was (and wasn’t) a good idea for NBC to pick up the show: Wonder Woman: Why NBC should (and shouldn’t) order this series

UPS Boosts Mileage 40% with Prototype Plastic Delivery Vans

By Adam Aston

From: http://www.greenbiz.com/

United Parcel Service is rolling out a prototype delivery van that gets 40 percent better mileage than its familiar big, brown boxy predecessor.

The twist here is less high tech than you might guess: It's not a new recipe for electric batteries or some new exotic fuel. Rather, to deliver big fuel savings, UPS put one of its standard package vans on a strict weight loss program.

By replacing aluminum sheet body panels with rugged, lightweight ABS plastic, UPS engineers have lowered fuel consumption by about 40 percent. Using less sheet metal cut the truck's weight so much that UPS could then opt for a smaller, lighter engine, saving still more weight. All together, the changes have carved off 1,000 pounds, or about 10 percent, from the original 5-ton model, says Dale Spencer, UPS' director of automotive engineering.

Five of the slim-line trucks are going through a trial-by-fire at a mix of urban, suburban and rural facilities across the country. The design, known as CV-23 among UPS' engineers, was created in collaboration with diesel engine-provider Isuzu and Wakarusa, Ind.-based Utilimaster, which executed the composite body makeover.

The design team approached the makeover holistically, examining how one change affected others. For example, switching all of the vehicle's lights -- except headlamps -- to efficient LEDs further cut demands on the engine. In the final design a 150-horsepower, four-cylinder diesel with a six-speed transmission was able to replace the 200-horsepower power plant used in the older design.

The plastic body panels also offer maintenance savings. Rather than coating them with a layer of brown paint, the composite material is colored all the way through. This saves the weight of paint -- which can be 100 pounds or more -- but also hides minor scratches and dings. In today's trucks, if a ding exposes underlying metal, the truck requires a costly trip to the touch-up shop.

And if damage is worse than a ding, the panels are easy to swap out. In the case of a serious dent, current metal-body trucks would need a shop visit, to either patch or replace the damaged body panel. The CV-23 can avoid many of these service calls. Its panels are designed to snap on easily and are light enough to be stored in the garage for a quick makeover.

The environmental footprint in manufacturing is lower as well. "Composite materials use less energy to produce than aluminum," says Mike Britt, director of vehicle engineering at UPS. The elimination of body paint, he adds, removes a particularly toxic waste stream from the factory process.

While execs remained mum on the price tag of the lightweight redesign, the up-front costs of the changes are very affordable, they say. UPS replaces of 5,000 to 6,000 vehicles each year, as part of a constant process to maintain and update its worldwide fleet of 70,000-plus vehicles, which range from two-wheeled motorcycles to highway big rigs.

Assuming UPS' five test rigs pass a test period that ends this December, the lightweight design could in time substitute for perhaps a third of company's familiar delivery vans, says Spencer. It's likely to play a leading role in higher-mileage urban and suburban routes, where its efficiency will deliver the biggest returns.

While the CV-23's upgrades all use available-today technology to deliver green benefits as soon as possible, they also fit well with alternative fuel technologies that UPS is developing. "In the future, you'll see multiple platforms on multiple fuel sources in our fleet," says Britt.

UPS has a long tradition of tinkering with the drive trains of its iconic brown vans. In the long race to save energy, the company has cultivated a test fleet that has racked up well over 100 million miles. This green-car menagerie has included natural gas, hydrogen fuel cell EVs, and hybrids that use both battery electric and hydraulic systems.

The lightweighting effort could deliver the quickest, most dramatic savings UPS has seen from these efforts. "It may not be the most exciting technology that you read about," says Spencer, "but for a traditional vehicle, we found a big opportunity to give us a big difference for a conventional fleet, without changing our existing fuel infrastructure."

Images courtesy of UPS.

Time to find out what the world’s most expensive popsicle costs

Author: Bob
From: http://thechive.com/

If you head over poolside at the 237-all suite Marquis Los Cabos resort in Baja California Sur you may get to sample Popsicle perfection. You might not believe it but the frozen treats go for the ridiculously low, low price of $1000 a pop. Each one contains 24 carat gold and Tequilas Premium Clase Azul Ultra, a special brand of tequila that generally sells for $1,500 a bottle. The frozen treat is served on a classic plastic stick, with some gold chocolate coins (I’m hoping a prostitute is lingering close by). What do you think, worth it??

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Via odditycentral

M-Bone, 'Teach Me How to Dougie' Rapper, Murdered in Drive-By

By Vickie Chang

M-Bone, 1989-2011

​UPDATE, APRIL 16, 3:49 P.M.: So now TMZ is speculating M-Bone might have been murdered over a woman he was involved with:

Our sources say M-Bone's friends have been in touch with cops, telling investigators after he got back to LA from his tour, he got involved with a girl. M-Bone's friends say a guy who lived in the woman's building didn't like the relationship and allegedly began threatening M-Bone via Twitter. We're told M-Bone did not back down, and the two men started cyber-smack-talking each other. TMZ has learned the black car in which M-Bone was shot is registered to the woman.

Witnesses are also telling TMZ that following the shooting, the car the murderer was riding in made a U-turn to drive by the scene again . . . perhaps to check out whether or not their intended target was hit.

ORIGINAL POST, APRIL 16, 11 A.M.: According to TMZ, rapper M-Bone of Cali Swag District was killed Sunday night during a drive-by shooting in Inglewood.

M-Bone, whose real name is Montae Talbert, was just 22. The shooting was reportedly a "random act of violence."


Cali Swag District is now reaching out to the public for help finding M-Bone's murderer. The group tells TMZ M-Bone was "an inspiration to his family, friends, and fans. He was a
hardworking, passionate artist and dancer that will be deeply missed."

Cali Swag District are best known for their hit "Teach Me How to Dougie," which even First Lady Michelle Obama was recently seen dancing to:



You can see M-Bone (in the blue plaid) in the following video from Cali Swag District tutorial on how to Dougie:

Quentin Tarantino Eyes Lady Gaga For Film Role

By Emily Zemler
From http://www.myspace.com/

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Quentin Tarantino reportedly wants to cast Lady Gaga in one of his upcoming films. The director and singer are both in Cannes this week, where Gaga recently performed for a star-studded crowd that included Tarantino.

A source told U.K. tabloid The Daily Mail, “It’s no secret Quentin’s been eyeing up Gaga for a role in one of his up-and-coming films. And now they’re both in Cannes, he’s keen to show off his movie star credentials.”
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Gaga and Tarantino have known each other for a few years and he famously lent her the Pussy Wagon from his Kill Bill movies for her video for Telephonelast year. Tarantino also reportedly introduced Gaga to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who stood side stage at her Cannes performance. The source told The Daily Mail, “Tarantino knows Gaga’s a big fan of Brangelina. When she heard they were both in Cannes, too, she mentioned that she’d love to have them come and watch the show. So Quentin gave his pal Brad a bell to ask the couple to join them. As one fiery woman to another, Gaga’s always been really into Ange and she thinks the glamorous location of Cannes is just the place for them to get pally.”

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Tarantino recently announced that his next film will be Django Unchained starring Will Smith. We’ll see if Gaga ends up cast in that one too.

Results of the 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships in Norway

From: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/

The results of the 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championships, held Sunday in Trondheim, Norway, are in, and the biggest surprise is the dethroning of two-time Full Beard Natural champ Jack Passion by fellow American Craig "Rooty" Lundvall, top right.

Passion, the whiskered wizard of Walnut Creek, Calif., author of "The Facial Hair Handbook", and subject of a 2009 profile in the Los Angeles Times, took second in the Trondheim competition. According to the World Beard and Moustache Championships website, the American delegation -- which is referred to en masse as Beard Team U.S.A. -- brought home a six gold medals.

In addition to Lundvall, Americans that took top honors were: Burke Kenny (in the Full Beard Styled Moustache category), Bruce Roe (Hungarian Moustache), Keith “Gandhi Jones” Haubrich (Freestyle Moustache), Bill Mitchell, left, (Partial Beard Freestyle), and Giovanni Dominice (Imperial Moustache).

The biannual beard-off's overall winner -- with a beard elaborately shaped into a reindeer at one end -- was Germany's Elmar Weisser, 47, top left, who is no stranger to the competition, having taken the top prize at the 2005 event held in Berlin with a beard sculpted to look like the Brandenburg Gate and at the 2007 England championships in which he showed up with a beard shaped to resemble the Tower Bridge. (He didn't attend the 2009 conclave, which gave the award to American David Travers for a snowshoe-shaped beard.)

The Norwegian Moustache Club was chosen as the host group at the last World Beard and Moustache Championship held in Anchorage, Alaska, on May 23, 2009.

-- Adam Tschorn

Full results of the 2010 National Beard & Moustache Championships

Results of the 2009 World Beard & Moustache Championships in Anchorage

Read more Bearded & Tschorn: The World Beard and Moustache Championships

Photos, from top: Germany's Elmar Weisser, left, was the overall winner and American Craig Lundvall took the Full Beard Natural category, unseating two-time champion Jack Passion; American Bill Mitchell won the Partial Beard Freestyle category. Altogether, Beard Team U.S.A. took home six gold medals. Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP/Getty Images

Photos: World's Richest Man Opens World's Flashiest Museum

Getty

By Ujala Sehgal
from http://www.theatlanticwire.com/

In Mexico City, telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim, widely cited as the world's richest man, recently opened a new museum to showcase his extensive collection of over 60,000 works of art from all over the world. As NPR reports, Slim calls the museum a gift to his country; others call it an eyesore, "the pet project of a man who knows more about business than art."

Kate Delmling at ArtInfo rounded up the reviews of the museum, which has an investment of more than $800 million, finding: "critics deeming it eclectic at best, and, at worst, a totally incoherent grab bag of stuff a la William Randolph Hearst's notorious Xanadu."

The outside of the museum is a windowless, metallic, six-story structure shaped like a surrealist hourglass. Despite being designed by Slim's son-in-law, it drew some of the better reviews: Art + Auction's Benjamin Genocchio called it, "really spectacular... a cross between a spaceship, a mushroom, and a futuristic Mariko Mori installation." However, he found it derivative of the Guggenheim on the inside, down to the spiral ramp.

The Los Angeles Times' Christopher Knight wrote, "If you love Salvador Dalí's cheesy Surrealist bronze sculptures of the 1970s and 1980s, churned out for moneyed provincial buyers; posthumous (if authorized) casts of Auguste Rodin masterworks; or sentimental Victorian odes to childhood innocence, carved in marble, this is the place for you."

In positive reviews, The Wall Street Journal's Nicholas Casey was wowed by the architecture: "a few steps into the narrow entrance, the museum unfolds as an airy white gallery — a trick an architect tells me was used by Baroque builders to convey a sense of grandeur."

And back to the snarky: German newspaper Die Zeit brought up criticisms of Slim as an uninformed nouveau riche, along with "a persistent rumor that he has paintings hanging in his house with Sotheby's labels still on them."

MIT Presents Powered SOFT Rockers to Charge Your Gadgets

by Amanda Smith
from http://3rings.designerpages.com/

SOFT Rocker. Designed by MIT Architecture students.

The concept of people creating power with motion was introduced to me by my spinning studio. It makes complete sense to capture the energy of a room full of people pedaling away like mad men for an hour and use that energy to power the guy taking a stroll on the treadmill. Simple motions are the basis of energy sources like windmills and water wheels, so why not turn human behaviors into energy sources? A group of architecture students at MIT sees the casual act of rocking as the perfect way to charge small electronics.

MIT professor Sheila Kennedy and a group of MIT architecture students developed the SOFT Rocker, which is a rocking chair/lounge chair for the great outdoors. The SOFT Rocker uses the human power of balance to create an interactive 1.5 axis, 35 watt solar tracking system. During daylight hours, the lounger captures solar power in a 12-ampere hour battery.

For maximum power absorption, the curved, solar-panel-covered seats rotate on an axis to keep them facing the sun. Additional energy is generated from the rocking motion created when people climb inside. All the energy that is harvested can be used to recharge gadgets plugged into the three USB ports and to illuminate a light strip on the inside of the loop.

The SOFT Rockers were created for the Festival of Art+Science+Technology (FAST) as an antidote to “conventional ‘hard’ urban infrastructure.

About: MIT is a prestigious Boston based university that reputation for its technology and engineering programs. The School of Architecture and Planning has gotten press in recent years for the construction of the Media Lab, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki. Professor Sheila Kennedy is an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture, changing the way buildings receive and distribute energy.

"The Dude's" Cardigan Up For Auction In Beverly Hills

Author: Sean O'Connell
From: http://www.cinemablend.com/

It would take a lifetime of commitment to replicate the Zen state of “Dudeness” Jeff Bridges achieved on Joel and Ethan Coen’s beloved The Big Lebowski. Thankfully, looking a little more like The Dude only requires a winning bid in a memorabilia auction.

Die-hard Lebowski trivia nuts might be able to tell you that Bridges’ trademark, zip-front cardigan sweater was designed by Oregon-based Pendleton Woolen Mills. And that of the four created for the costume department, only one was worn by Bridges at all times (to “thus delve deeper into the 'Dudeness' required of the role," according to Profiles In History, which is currently auctioning off the clothing item).

That’s right: The sweater is being auctioned off Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, through Profiles In History, a Hollywood memorabilia house located in Beverly Hills. In addition to the sweater, Profiles is hawking a fully functional Chitty Chitty Bang Bang automobile and an “Everlasting Gobstopper” used in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

But we know it’s Lebowski stuff you crave, you little urban achievers. So pour yourself a White Russian, hop online, and enter a bid for The Dude’s original sweater. We hear it will really tie your closet together.

David Gilmour & Nick Mason Join Roger Waters on Stage on May 12th - O2 Arena - London

From Rolling Stone & Brain Damage

The surviving members of Pink Floyd reunited onstage at London's 02 Arena, May 12, 2011.

Photograph by Jennifer Bain

The surviving members of Pink Floyd reunited onstage tonight at London's 02 Arena during a stop on Roger Waters' Wall tour - marking only the second time that Nick Mason, David Gilmour and Waters had played together in the last 30 years. Waters and Gilmour performed "Comfortably Numb" as the crowd at the arena went absolutely insane, and during the finale of "Outside the Wall," Gilmour returned to the stage alongside Mason, who played a tambourine.

As he did on the original 1980/81 tour, Gilmour played his epic solo on the top of the Wall. Last July, Waters promised that Gilmour would play the song during one show on the tour, but drummer Nick Mason's involvement was kept a secret. They last performed together at Live 8 in 2005. Original keyboardist Richard Wright died in 2008.

Confirmation of Gilmour's appearance hit the web hours before the reunion on Gilmour's official fan blog. "I should also remind you that tonight is most definitely a one-off," the blog notes. "David is not repeating his special guest performance at a later occasion, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you with fingers crossed and tickets for later shows."

Pink Floyd Announce Massive Reissue Project

Last July – shortly before Waters began his Wall tour – he played a brief set with Gilmour at a benefit for the Hoping Foundation. They closed the set with a cover of Phil Spector's "To Know Him Is To Love Him." Waters initially told Gilmour that he wouldn't sing the song with him because of Gilmour's "superior vocal skills."

Rumours that he'd be bringing his guitar work to Run Like Hell proved unfounded, but if the crowd thought that they'd seen the last of David, Outside The Wall proved them wrong! Making for a very moving sight, David and Roger greeted each other as Roger thanked him for taking part. Then, to add further to the special nature of the night, Nick Mason was called to join them. As you'll see from the pictures on this site, Roger played his trusty trumpet, David a mandolin, and Nick a tamborine!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

A wonderful way to conclude such a great show - a show that boasted a number of familiar faces in the audience, including Gerald Scarfe and Jane Asher amongst others. Truly a one-off event, it'll stay in the minds of those present for years to come.

As always, we welcome your views on the evening...and to kick these off, a couple of video clips for you, of the full performance of Comfortably Numb, and the finale:

Comfortably Numb - Roger Waters and David Gilmour reunited on stage at London O2 Arena 12 May 2011

"I clung resolutely to my fear of failure until one day he made one final entreaty," Waters wrote on Facebook. "I quote 'If you do 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' for the Hoping Foundation Gig, I'll come and do 'C. Numb' on one of your Wall shows". Well! You could have knocked me down with a feather. How fucking cool! I was blown away. How could I refuse such an offer. I couldn't, there was no way."

The Illustrated History of the Band's Last Days and Bittersweet Reunions

The news sent Floyd fans into a state of hysteria, especially because they didn't know what show on the extremely long tour would be the special one – though the six-show run at London's 02 Arena always seemed like a safe bet because Gilmour lives in close proximity to the venue. Earlier this week Floyd announced a massive reissue campaign (read about it here), which was almost certainly timed to coincide with this event. Press outlets, much like this one, were sure to cover the story - and also mention the details of their reissue campaign.

This will be the third time the former bandmates have reunited since Waters left the band after the original Wall tour in 1981. The first was at Live 8 in 2005, and the second was at the Hoping Foundation benefit last year. Waters says he's interested in a brief Pink Floyd reunion tour, but Gilmour refuses to even consider it. Just this past week Rolling Stone asked Mason about the possibility of a reunion. "There are absolutely no plans," he said. "But Live 8 was fantastic. We did something for other people, but we also proved that we could all work together again. I'm really pleased that my children saw that. I would have thought that could be regenerated at some time. So I live in hope – but that's no reason to put it out on Twitter that 'Nick Says Band to Re-form!'" (Watch a fan-shot video of "Outside the Wall" performed by Mason, Waters and Gilmour below.)

Outside The Wall - Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason join Roger Waters on stage 12may 2011




This is stemmed from Waters playing with Gilmour at a benefit for the Hoping Foundation in Oxfordshire, England

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/roger-waters-reunites-with-david-gilmour-for-wall-tour-20100715

Nick Mason talks about mammoth Pink Floyd reissue campaign

Written by Matt From: http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/

A pair of interviews have been published today with Nick Mason, talking about the massive Pink Floyd reissue programme that was announced this week. The first of these, with Reuters news agency, was conducted at the Hollywood EMI office, with Nick saying that "There is a slight sense that we are coming to the end of the period where people will buy the physical record with all the packaging and the information and so on. I think it's really important to try and have a last go at that, because if we do end up just downloading everything from now on it would be a shame if there wasn't on record all that good artwork and the things that went with it". Elsewhere in the interview, which you can read here, Nick talks of his pleasure that the Stephane Grappelli guest appearance was found and will be on the Wish You Were Here package. Mason also said he planned to attend the London stop of Waters "The Wall" world tour on Thursday. The other interview appears in Rolling Stone, where Nick reveals that the earliest material proved the biggest draw for him, particular tracks that emerged "from the very back of the cupboard". When the subject turns to Roger Waters, he said: "I hate to say this, because Roger is insufferable already, but his writing is extraordinary. The lyrics to Dark Side were written by a 20-something-year-old guy, but they're relevant to a 50- or 60-year-old guy. 'Time' or any of those songs have lasted extremely well. And the music has an abstraction to it that allows people to put their own visions on it. The songs leave a lot of scope for people to use their imaginations, paint their own pictures and make it a soundtrack to their thoughts and their lives. And you're most susceptible to that when you're a teenager". The full interview is online here.

Van Damme Friday - The Family Man - Introducing His Daughter - Bianca Van Varenberg

http://www.facebook.com/BiancaVanVarenberg

http://twitter.com/#!/BBVanVarenberg

Schoolboy in a skirt: Pupil protests at rule forcing boys to wear trousers during hot weather

By Andrew Levy

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

It's not necessarily a photo Chris Whitehead’s parents will be framing and keeping on the mantelpiece.

But they are certainly proud of him. The 12-year-old wore a skirt to school yesterday to protest against ‘discriminatory’ rules which ban boys from wearing shorts.

He says it is unfair that girls can change into skirts during the hot weather, while boys have to swelter in long trousers.

Taking a stand: Chris Whitehead, 12, who sits on the school's council with supporters at Impington Village College, near Cambridge

This, he says, affects their concentration and ability to learn.

The schoolboy is taking advantage of a ‘silly loophole’ in the uniform policy at Impington Village College, near Cambridge, that means boys can wear skirts as the school would be guilty of discrimination if it tried to stop them.

‘In the summer months, girl students are allowed to wear skirts but boys are not allowed to wear shorts,’ Chris explained yesterday before his protest.

Skirting around the issue: Chris, who is in Year 8, said he wearing long trousers in summer affects boys' ability to concentrate

‘It discriminates against boys. I will march in a skirt with other boys waving banners and making a lot of noise.

AND THE RULES ON UNIFORM ARE ...

Students at Impington Village College must obey the 'Look Smart' uniform policy at all times.

The policy states students must wear 'plain black tailored trousers or knee-length skirts without slits' but does not specify a gender.

This means shorts are banned by their omission.

The uniform policy also states skirts should be 'free moving not tight against the legs, and trousers should be neither tight nor baggy'.

Jeans, corduroys, cargos with pockets, drainpipes, leggings or capri pants are all banned.

Pupils can wear one pair of discreet stud earrings, no bangles or rings, necklaces must not visible and no more than one watch should be worn.

Discreet make-up is permitted but teachers have the power to instruct students to remove excessive make-up and nail polish.

Teachers also have the power to make students tie back hair for health and safety reasons.

Coats, scarves, gloves and hats can be worn to and from College but not in lessons or the library. Denim, sweatshirts or "hoodies" are not permitted.

Plain black sensible footwear must be worn with no logos, coloured flares, coloured stitching and no high heels or boots, or sandals.

Tights must be plain, opaque, black or flesh-coloured and socks worn with skirts must be plain in colour and ankle length.
Belts must be plain, narrow, black, and fitted through belt loops of trousers.

Pupils are also ordered to wear sky blue polo shirts or sweatshirts bearing the school's logo.

‘I will be wearing the skirt at school all day in protest at the uniform policy and addressing the assembly with the school council.’

The year 8 pupil, who lives in nearby Histon, added: ‘Wearing a skirt is just like wearing shorts with a gap in the middle. I don’t feel silly at all. I don’t embarrass easily.’

The 1,368-pupil school, which was classed as good in its last Ofsted inspection in 2006, imposed the ban two years ago after a consultation with parents and teachers. Its ‘Look Smart’ dress code states students must wear ‘plain black tailored trousers or knee-length skirts without slits’ – but does not specify gender.

This means that while shorts are prohibited because they are not mentioned, girls – and boys – are free to wear skirts as long as they are ‘free moving, not tight against the legs’.

Chris borrowed a skirt from his sister Joanna, 11, and was accompanied by 30 supporters waving placards saying, ‘Cool shorts, not hot pants’, ‘Shorts for the long-term’ and ‘What’s wrong with my legs?’

And he said he intends to continue wearing the outfit.

His mother, Liz, 50, a maths teacher, said: ‘I’m delighted that Chris is taking action on what he believes in – which the school actually encourages, so he is only doing what he is taught.’

And his father, Brian, 48, who owns a publishing company, added: ‘It’s a creative and imaginative idea. I was worried about him getting picked on but he just shrugged his shoulders.’ Headmaster Robert Campbell said: ‘Our uniform policy does not state girls’ and boys’ uniforms because we can’t be discriminatory, so Chris is perfectly within his rights to wear a skirt.

‘What he has done is raise the issue in an entirely legitimate way. I think it will be right to start thinking about uniform again in September.’

An Equality and Human Rights Commission spokesman said: ‘It’s not possible to say if different uniform policies for boys and girls is or is not lawful, as it’s not been tested in the courts.’ But schools ‘should be flexible when considering students’ needs’, he added.

Why You Don't Ask Your Friends To Help You Move

This is how they move into the new apartment in Russia.

Could crows have caught Osama bin Laden?

From: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/could-crows-have-caught-osama-bin-laden

These smart birds may have been used in the hunt for the world's most famous terrorist.

Photo: LucinaM/Flickr

A full week after Osama bin Laden was killed, it might be time to give some credit to crows and ravens. Yes, you read that right. Crows and ravens.

For a few years, the University of Washington has been training and studying crows and ravens to test their ability to recognize human faces. As it turns out, the birds are really good at it. A few experiments by professor John Marzluff and some folks on campus wearing caveman masks revealed that the birds could not only recognize the individual “cavemen,” but would also swarm them on the University of Washington campus.

This drew the attention of the military, which contacted Marzluff and then gave him some funding to find out if the birds could be used to track down bin Laden. “[Crows and ravens] have a long -term memory, very acute discrimination abilities, and if a group of crows knew bin Laden as an enemy, they would certainly indicate his presence when they next saw him,” said Marzluff in a recent interview.

As it turns out, crows are smart on several levels. Researchers in New Zealand discovered that the birds can use tools to get food, and that the birds can teach their children to use tools through “home schooling.”

We will never know if birds had anything to do with bin Laden’s death. Those details, like the pictures of bin Laden and the identity of the Navy Seals who killed him, are unlikely to become public. So next time you see a black bird, consider that it might be more heroic than you think. And if you have a guilty conscience, you might want to hide your face. After all, you wouldn’t want the bird to tip off the authorities.

Also on MNN: Titanium fangs? The technology behind the dog that helped capture bin Laden