Thursday 19 June 2008

Dirty Pretty Things' Carl Barat rushed to hospital

Dirty Pretty Things frontman Carl Barat was rushed to hospital yesterday morning (June 17) with stomach pains, and has now been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.

Barat's spokesperson explained that the singer and guitarist is being kept under observation until the weekend (June 21).

He will undergo further tests and may be operated on.

As a result of Barat's hospitalisation, Dirty Pretty Things have postponed their Real Fits fundraiser gig, which had been set to take place at the London Hackney Empire on Friday (June 20).

The NME and NME.COM staff wish Barat all the best and hope he is out of hospital and back on his feet soon.

Friday 13 June 2008

Artists flaunt distinct outfits









Fashion will make a big splash at this Sunday�s MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVAs), as the superstars of the music world grace the red carpet with panache and an exuberant style, from head to toe. 

Whether hardcore music fans want to believe it or not, fashion has always been a part of music, from Duke Ellington�s classic apparel and Elvis� flashy one-piece white suit, to Cyndi Lauper�s crazed ensembles and Jimi Hendrix�s electric bandana. Great artists surely have great style.

From Rihanna, illScarlett and Mel C, to Akon, Hedley and Sean Kingston, the fashion spectacle at the MMVAs promises to be stunner.

�Artists sure do have distinct styles,� says Glen Baxter, host of In Fashion and reporter for the FashionTelevisionChannel. �And part of what makes them exciting to watch is that you never know what they�ll do, so viewers can expect the unexpected.�

The unexpected is what the MMVAs are all about. �It�s not your typical awards show. It�s colourful, chaotic, unconventional and unscripted glam fest,� Baxter says. And that�s where the fun starts. Given that the award show is based on a visual medium, the artistry of the video is reflected in the artist�s sense of style, whatever it may be � avant-garde, sleek, poised or eccentric.

Baxter says the MMVAs are known for its dazzling red-carpet entrances, so to expect �lots of daring duds, eye-catching colour, and lots of glam with a street twist.� Over the years, artists like Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado, Fergie, Lenny Kravitz, among others, have dazzled fans on the red carpet.

Pungent fashion is an art form, but it takes the right personality to pull it off. Take Rihanna, for example, who is one of the performers at the show. She�s a fashion chameleon, a perfect canvas for most fashion designers. For those wondering what she�ll be wearing at the MMVAs, it�ll surely be dramatic. �Rihanna is a trendsetter, who is daring and willing to take chances with her look.�

But she�s not the only one with spunk. Hedley, the Vancouver-based rock band, who leads the MMVAs with six nominations, are known for their individuality. Baxter says that they�ll make a statement no matter what they wear � whether it is jeans and a T-shirt, or a tuxedo. �With Girlicious�expect the Burlesque- inspired popstars to be wearing garters, stay-ups and all that is lacy and frilly.� With Melanie C, Baxter says he expects her to �deliver a sexy statement� with a classic tailored suit.











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Saturday 7 June 2008

Holmes says Suri is a 'very strong woman'

Actress Katie Holmes has described her young daughter Suri as a "very strong woman".
Speaking to People magazine, the 29-year-old actress said: "She's a very strong woman."
"I'm very proud of her. She's actually teaching me a lot - probably more than I'm teaching her," she said.
"She's very smart and strong. And really magical."

Goran Bregovic and Kayah

Goran Bregovic and Kayah   
Artist: Goran Bregovic and Kayah

   Genre(s): 
Pop
   



Discography:


Kayah and Bregovic   
 Kayah and Bregovic

   Year: 1999   
Tracks: 10




 






Gisele Gets Naked & Wet To Sell Shoes

Gisele Bundchen strips down to her sandals in a sexy new advertising campaign.

In the ads for footwear designer Olang, the stunning supermodel appears naked save for her footwear – and a strategically positioned ‘water dress’ that just about manages to cover her rude bits.

Gisele continues to demonstrate why she’s the World’s Richest Supermodel below – cold shower, anyone?

Rome fest director to exit in compromise

Goffredo Bettini steps down to retain city's backing





ROME -- The battle between the three-year-old RomaCinemaFest and Rome's new mayor may be drawing to a close, with a surprise agreement that will see festival president Goffredo Bettini step down and Mayor Gianni Alemanno agree to continue the city's financial and political backing of the event.


Bettini and Alemanno met late Tuesday, and sources said they will officially announce the plans for the festival -- including Bettini's resignation -- in the next several days.


Bettini's replacement is not yet known, though there is speculation that it could be Rome Chamber of Commerce official Andrea Mondello, a nonpartisan figure who would be a compromise candidate between the center-right government in City Hall and the center-left governments at the provincial and regional level.


Those four governmental organizations -- along with the host site Auditorium Parco della Musica -- each appoint one seat to the festival's five-member board, which then officially selects the president.


One name no longer under consideration, sources said, is writer-director Pasquale Squitieri, Alemanno's first choice for the post, who attracted a great deal of criticism with blistering rhetoric against the festival.


Alemanno was elected Rome mayor a month ago after running on a platform that said the city should abandon its backing of the film festival in favor of more spending on basic services. But the 50-year-old mayor has tempered his views toward the festival recently.



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Annual Festival Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque Infuses New Mexico with World Class Artistry

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 29 -- The 22nd Annual Festival
Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque comes to Albuquerque, New Mexico,
June 6-15. This festival is the largest in North America, and the Festival
Flamenco de Jerez, Spain, has recognized it as one of the largest festivals
outside of Spain. The festival is an international treasure prompting
Albuquerque to be described as the Sevilla of North America by the Journal
of Flamenco Artistry in London.

Popular Flamenco Artists

The 22nd annual festival will be a world-class event as top flamenco
artists from all over the world flock to Albuquerque to share their
artistry and tradition with students from around the world. Performances
will take place at the University of New Mexico's Rodey Theater, the
National Hispanic Cultural Center and the Lensic in Santa Fe.

"The festival brings international attention to Albuquerque with
visitors and participants from all over the world," said Dale Lockett,
President/CEO of the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This
world-class event showcases the diverse and unique cultural arts that are
evident throughout Albuquerque."

The event will demonstrate flamenco artistry from various artists
including Antonio Canales, Rocio Molina, Albuquerque's Yjastros: "The
American Flamenco Repertory Company" and many more. The festival also
includes the VI Concurso Nacional de Flamenco, a competition of
pre-professional and professional flamenco dancers who will present their
choreographies, musical numbers or vocals to a panel of judges comprised of
top flamenco artists.

The Festival Flamenco is unique in that it offers participants -- young
and old -- the opportunity to study all aspects of flamenco in workshop
classes June 7-14. Workshop participants can experience the beauty of
flamenco's dance technique and repertory as well as its guitar, cante,
palmas and cajon.

"Every year is exciting for the festival -- for about 10 days -- the
city is just buzzing with flamenco artists and aficionados from all over
the country and the world," said Eva Encinias Sandoval, director of the
National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque. "It is a great, intense
immersion into an amazing art form that really puts Albuquerque and New
Mexico on the map."

Visit http://www.nationalinstituteofflamenco.org or call 505-242-7600
for information on the festival. For information on visiting Albuquerque,
go to http://www.itsatrip.org.




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Judi Dench - Dench Saddened By Cattralls No-show

DAME JUDI DENCH was devastated when KIM CATTRALL was forced to pull out of a play they were both due to appear in.

The Oscar winner was set to play the mother of the Sex + The City star Cattrall's character, but 51-year-old Cattrall had to withdraw from the role in London because of filming commitments.

Cattrall says, "I remember meeting her. I was supposed to do a play with her years ago at the Royal Haymarket (theatre), called the Royal Family. I was supposed to play her daughter.

"I couldn't do it because of a series. I went backstage two or three weeks before the closed. She looked at me and she went, 'I'm so sad you couldn't do this. You know, my American accent is awful.'"




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Total Science and Q Project

Total Science and Q Project   
Artist: Total Science and Q Project

   Genre(s): 
Drum & Bass
   



Discography:


Cats Eyes GAIN023 Vinyl   
 Cats Eyes GAIN023 Vinyl

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 2




 






Large Mound - My Whole Life Is Have To

Responsible for what some regard as the greatest Irish album cover of all time (2004's 'Go Forth and Amplify' - it deserves to be a stamp), Large Mound's love of a laugh should never obscure their talents as songwriters.
Taking its title from the Steve Martin film 'Parenthood', and featuring some McLovin'-style posing on the sleeve, the quirkiness of 'My Whole Life Is Have To' is matched by the quality of the songs. Here pop and heaviness are brought together by inspired and witty lyrics about the travails of modern life, interpersonal aggravation and how Stephen Malkmus writes those lines.
For anyone who loves riffs and solos, this is a huge treasure trove. So huge that it will make you want to buy an amp for your air guitar.
Harry Guerin