VIDEO: Rihanna Talks That Talk on SNL

6 May

I wish they showed Saturday Night Live here in the UK because Rihanna gave two great performances on it last night! Luckily, the two videos are online and here they are, via NBC :) Rihanna performed Talk that Talk, as well as her new single Where Have you Been. Rihanna also released the video for the track this week, and it can be seen in YouTube.

Enjoy!

Rihanna, Talk That Talk

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1400071
Where Have You Been
http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1400066

Update: It looks like WordPress won’t let me embed the videos but I hope the links work for you!

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Twilight? Pah, It’s time for a proper Vampire movie!

24 Apr

I normally leave all things film related to Louis Sherman, but today I’m going to step into his territory just a bit to share with you a film trailer. Vampires are very popular at the moment, what with The Vampire Diaries and Twilight being hugely popular. However, I feel these interpretations have reduced the Vampire legend to a soppy, teenage love story. Luckily, the Vampire has now had a makeover by the Gothic master himself, Tim Burton, and I’m looking forward to seeing what looks like a humourous new film, starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and my favourite Gothic actress, Helena Bonham Carter.

Barnabus Collins, the vampire and protagonist played by Johnny Depp, has returned to his ancestral home to find 1972 is  quite different to the 1700s…

I’ll be looking forward to seeing this film when it comes out on 11th May :)

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Is the St. George’s flag racist?

22 Apr

The St. George's flag flying over Downing Street.

Today I read a rather controversial article that quoted a poll, which suggested that nearly a quarter of English people believed that flying their national flag and being nationalist were a form of racism.  However, the same article suggested that over 80% of people felt patriotic towards the British Union Jack.

The Union Jack has become increasingly popular over the last few years, and its design now features on any tourist souvenir stall, to home ware shops and even in high street fashion. This may be attributed to the Royal Wedding Effect, which saw a boost in patriotism last year, and this year’s forthcoming Diamond Jubilee. However, it seems that the St.George’s flag’s popularity has declined in recent years.

Although I am in no way suggesting that all people who choose to fly the English flag are racist, it can’t be denied that the flag has unfortunately become associated with far-right groups and hooliganism. I feel that the population at large have become embarrassed to fly the flag because of these reasons, and I point the finger of blame at the minority of extreme nationalists we have to put up with in our democracy.

Maybe our English flag needs some rebranding – it is after all the flag of St. George, the Roman soldier who in mythology slayed a dragon to save a young woman, who is also our patron saint. St. George, after all, wasn’t English, and his day April 23rd, is celebrated in many countries around the world.

I personally would like to see the St. George’s flag flying in celebration of St. George. To me, it symbolises a link we have with people from many nationalities, which should be celebrated in this day and age. However, it seems that many people believe that the Union Jack represents them in a better way, and that is a great thing for our society. To me, it says that the majority of people reject the views of the extremist minority that have sadly tainted the St. George’s flag, and that to me is a very patriotic message to send out.

What are your views? Do you prefer the St. George’s flag or the Union Jack? Comment below  or on Twitter. 

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The Casual Vacancy, J.K Rowling’s new book, is out September 27th

12 Apr

The Casual Vacancy will be J.K Rowling's first novel since the Harry Potter series ended.

J.K Rowling’s publishers have today announced the title and release date for her upcoming novel. The Casual Vacancy, released September 27th 2012, will be Rowling’s first book release since out since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. The novel will no doubt be widely anticipated by Rowling’s legions of fans, who made the Harry Potter series the biggest selling book series of all time.  Along with the title and date, J.K Rowling’s publishers released a short plot summary to give fans a flavour of the book:

“When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.”

Do you think J.K Rowling can repeat the success of Harry Potter with this book, and will you be reading it this September? Comment below or on Twitter

 

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Why Edinburgh Zoo’s Pandacam will be turned off today (Celebrities, take note!)

3 Apr

Tian Tian and Yang Guang, Edinburgh Zoo's Giant Panda Couple

Edinburgh Zoo has announced today that their two Great Pandas have been put in the same enclosure as Panda breeding season begins, in hope that they will make some panda babies.

Tian Tian, the female panda will now be in the same enclosure as her male companion Yang Guang, for the first time since they came to Edinburgh from China last year. The online “pandacam” will be turned off and the Panda enclosure will not be open to the public, to give the couple utmost privacy – an idea some celebrities should adopt

In light of this strange news story, I have found some bizarre panda facts to share with you:

  • Female pandas ovulate only once a year, meaning that there is only a 36 hour window for Tian Tian to get preggers.
  • Giant Panda mothers are over 900 times bigger than Giant Panda cubs!
  • Pandas spend up to 16 hours a day eating bamboo, and can’t go longer than 5 hours without food. Just like me.
  • There are only 1000 pandas left in the wild, an 100 in captivity, which is why Edinbugh Zoo is keen to run a successful breeding programme.
  • Pandas are one of only a few animals whose body parts are not used in Chinese medicine.
  • The Panda’s conservation status is “Endangered”, meaning there is an immediate risk of the species becoming extinct, so let’s hope Tian Tian has a successful breeding season!

A panda pregnancy lasts between 85 to 100 days, so we may have a baby panda cub, by the end of the summer!

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10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Me

13 Mar

1. I prefer sweets to chocolate

I could go without chocolate for a long time, but Haribo Tangfastics or Gummy bears must never leave my life. Ever

2. I don’t like polystyrene

What is the point of this white foamy substance? Who needs it? What does it actually do, apart from make my teeth feel funny when I have to drink a takeaway coffee from it!

3. I have conversations with myself in my head.

Please tell me this is fairly normal? Yes Andréa, it is normal.

4. I have an obsession with sunglasses.

Well, if you’re a friend of mine (my friend’s don’t read this, haha) you would know this, or if you are a weird stalker of my facebook photos you would probably know this too, but yeah, sunglasses always look so cool. Ray Ban Wayfarers are my favourites, but everyone has a style thats best suited to them.

5. I don’t know what the word “ergonomic” means

To be honest, I only just realised this myself when I read the word a moment ago on another blog. I’ll look it up in a dictionary later.

6. I’m not fully Italian

People always ask me I’m only half-Italian, the rest of my ancestry lies in Ireland, England, and France, apparently.

7. I want to write and publish a book in my life

I don’t know what this will be about, but how amazing would it be to write something that will survive long past you have left this Earth?

8. If I hear my alarm clock during the day it freaks me out

I makes me feel like something really unpleasant is being done to me, like having an ice cube put down my back.

9. My feet aren’t ticklish

The few people who already know this are shocked and amazed by it. I can sit there for ages without even flinching.

10. I’ve never owned a PlayStation or Xbox

This partly due to the fact I couldn’t ever complete a game on my GameBoy. A PlayStation would have been completely wasted on me.

Tell me the weirdest facts about you, either by commenting below or tweeting me @andrea_avena

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Make Joseph Kony Famous.

7 Mar

Joseph Kony is a war criminal. As head of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, he has bought violence to large part so the country, resulting in the displacement of over 2,000,000 people. Kony is wanted and indicted with 33 counts of war crimes, 12 of which are crimes against humanity, including murder, enslavement and using rape as a weapon of war.

Kony is indiscriminate. Men, women and children have all been murdered, injured, raped, kidnapped and forced to fight by Kony’s forces. In fact, over 66,000 children have been taken from their homes, their families and their safety and forced to fight for him and the LRA.

Joseph Kony is also classed by the United States as a Global Terrorist, and they have sent a small task force of 100 troops to Uganda to help combat against the LRA.

The facts have always been there. The dead have always been counted, children have always been reported as missing, yet Kony has been able to continue committing crimes against the human race for nearly 30 years.

Now, in 2012, enough is enough. Invisible Children, an activist group which aims to make the world aware of the crimes being committed in Uganda, are spearheading a campaign to make Joseph Kony famous. They hope that if his crimes are famous, more will be done to capture him and to prevent the LRA from committing more crimes.

Invisible Children have made a short documentary about Joseph Kony, his crimes and their impacts on children, as well as how you can help. You can watch the video below, on YouTube, and you can find out more at www.invisiblechildren.com

Please share, tweet, blog, post and link this video everywhere, so the message to #STOPKONY can be seen my as many people as possible.

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