Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/mark-martin-claims-richmond-pole
Jennifer Morrison Amber Heard Ashanti Brody Dalle Danica Patrick
Monday, 30 April 2012
Mark Martin claims Richmond pole
Mark Martin claimed his second NASCAR Sprint Cup series pole position of the season in qualifying for Saturday night's race at Richmond. The Michael Waltrip Racing veteran had been quickest in the opening practice session and backed up his speed by bumping Roush Fenway's Carl Edwards from pole after being the last car to complete his qualifying run. Martin, 53, set a time of 21.040 seconds on his second flying lap, at an average speed of 128.327 mph around the 0.755-mile track, beating Edwards by a mere six thousandths of a second.
Does Britney Spears Have 'The X Factor'?
MTV News takes a look at the pros and cons of bringing Spears onboard as a judge for the reality singing competition.
By John Mitchell
<P>The news that <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/spears_britney/artist.jhtml">Britney Spears</a> is reportedly in final negotiations to <a href="/news/articles/1680782/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-offer.jhtml">join "The X Factor"</a> has set the <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com">MTV Newsroom</a> on fire. Opinion on whether the pop star is a good fit for the reality singing competition has been sharply divided, so we decided to take on the topic the way we're sure Simon Cowell did before making Spears a reported $10 million offer: a good, old-fashioned pros and cons list. </P><P> </P><P><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:698603/cp~vid%3D698603%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A698603" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed> </P><P> </P><P><big><b>Pro: She'll attract viewers</b></big><br> </P><P>The <a href="/news/articles/1671220/x-factor-simon-cowell-ratings.jhtml">debut season of "The X Factor"</a> performed well below expectations. Its heavily hyped premiere pulled in 12.1 million total viewers and a meager 4.4/12 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18 to 49 demographic. That's about half of what the 2011 season of "American Idol" averaged ("Idol" is having its own ratings woes this season), and it didn't even win the night: Emmy-winning sitcom "Modern Family" drew 14.3 million viewers and a 6.0/15 for its season premiere. </P><P> </P><P>The poor ratings precipitated the overhaul that saw judges <a href="/news/articles/1678191/paula-abdul-exits-x-factor.jhtml">Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger</a> and host Steve Jones fired from the show. </P><P> </P><P>There's no question that Spears would bring viewers to "The X Factor." She enjoys a large and devout fanbase who will basically follow her just about anywhere. And beyond her own fans, Spears' celebrity would also likely draw attention from the general public, who will tune in simply to see how she does. </P><P> </P><P><big><b> Con: She's become nervous on camera </b></big><br> </P><P> </P><P>Though she can still wow a crowd live in concert, as evidenced by last year's successful tour behind her hit album <i>Femme Fatale,</i> Spears has become increasingly tentative during interviews. She rarely grants on-camera sit-downs, and when she does, she seems nervous and uncomfortable. </P><P> </P><P>To be a strong judge or mentor on a reality show, you have to be <i>very</i> comfortable on camera. Part of what made Jennifer Lopez click last season on "Idol" was that she came across as confident, direct and often empathetic. She even broke down in tears after <a href="/news/articles/1658584/americaon-idol-top-24.jhtml">sending home contestant Chris Medina</a>, whose fiancée suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident. The key word here is <i>after.</i> It's hard to imagine Spears being able to keep it together and deliver such difficult news in similar circumstances. </P><P>It's worth noting that a high-drama situation arose on the first season of "The X Factor" -- one that left <a href="/news/articles/1675936/x-factor-rachel-crow-elimination-reaction.jhtml">contestant Rachel Crow sobbing</a> onstage and Scherzinger a wreck ... a wreck who received <a href="http://www.thefablife.com/2011-12-05/paula-abdul-and-nicole-scherzinger-receive-death-threats-after-the-x-factor-elimination/" target="_blank">death threats</a>. Producers should also consider whether it's wise to send Spears, who has dealt with emotional issues in the past, into a genre that thrives when the emotional stakes are high. </P><P> </P><P><big><b>Pro: she is a contemporary artist</b></big><br> </P><P>One of the things we like most about <a href="/news/articles/1680496/the-voice-battle-rounds.jhtml">"The Voice"</a> is that its judges — Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton — are all active artists. They are all still hitting the studio to make hit records, and that lends a great deal of credibility to their opinions when they critique a contestant's performance. We don't mean to slight Abdul or Scherzinger, but you could argue that a legacy singer who hasn't released an album in over 17 years and a performer who has had a difficult time getting her own solo singing career off the ground aren't the best judges of who does and does not have "The X Factor." </P><P> </P><P>On the other hand, Spears may be. <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/03/29/britney-spears-femme-fatale-reviews/">Last year's <i>Femme Fatale</i></a> gave Spears three top-10 singles — the most of any of her seven albums — and earned some of the best reviews of her career. While it's true that she did not write or produce much of the record, she was most certainly involved in picking her collaborators, which actually could speak well of her ability to know talent when she sees it. Spears also smartly chose red-hot rapper Nicki Minaj to open on the North American leg of her tour. </P><P> </P><P>When it comes to the contemporary pop music scene, Spears knows what works. </P><P> </P><P><big><b>Con: She's not known for her singing</b></big><br> </P><P>Unlike Aguilera, whose talent as a vocalist is indisputable, Spears is not known for her singing. By signing her to judge and mentor a singing competition, "X Factor" producers are setting themselves up for inevitable criticism. "Who is Britney Spears to judge a singing competition?" critics will scream (and they won't be wrong). </P><P> </P><P>When Aguilera critiques a performer's vocals, she speaks with authority — and her ear for singing proved to make her the most discerning judge on the "Voice" panel during the <a href="/news/articles/1679565/the-voice-christina-aguilera-jonathas-usher.jhtml">blind auditions</a>. Spears' judging style will likely be based on liking what's already there, but she's not going to have much insight on missed notes or pitch, which will cripple her ability to further mentor her team. How can she help them improve as vocalists when it's a truth universally acknowledged that she's not really a vocalist herself? </P><P> </P><P><i>Do you think Britney Spears is a good choice for "The X Factor"? Let us know in the comments below.</i></p>
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1680800/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-singing.jhtml
Danica Patrick Jennifer Aniston Brittany Snow Amanda Swisten Eliza Dushku
Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: Jive, Zomba Label Group
- Director: Jonas Akerlund
Source:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=501686&vid=624145
Carrie Underwood Desiree Dymond Giuliana DePandi Bridget Moynahan Grace Park
Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share
We've all thought it, but never dared think it could be true: what if Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL actively monitor our instant messenger chats? What if mentions of 'bomb' and 'underage' are tracked and sent to law enforcement agencies? What if chat providers don't agree with the things we say, or the links we share, and filter or censor the content of our transmitted messages?Well, it looks like our fears may actually have some basis in reality: Yahoo Messenger strips FilesTube links from instant messages. It doesn't tell either party that a URL has been removed from chat -- it just deletes it. Poof. FilesTube, in case you were wondering, is one of the largest file hosting meta search engines on the Web -- it indexes RapidShare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and many other 'cyberlocker' services.
It's fairly obvious why FilesTube links are being removed -- the Censor General at Yahoo is probably one of those perplexed primates who think all uses of BitTorrent are illegal -- but this situation poses a far more important question: is Yahoo censoring messages on the client side, or the server side. Does the messenger client itself maintain a list of 'blacklisted' words -- and if so, why are we not told that FilesTube links are banned? What other words and terms does Yahoo protect us from?
Continue reading Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share
Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ali Larter Anna Kournikova Charli Baltimore Jessica Cauffiel Ciara
MATT ARTIN JOINS NHRA AS DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS
NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2012) NHRA announced today that Matt Artin, an eight-year veteran in media planning, advertising and promotions, has joined the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body as director of advertising and promotions....
Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2012/01/matt_artin_joins_nhra_as.php
Anne Marie Kortright Ivana Bozilovic Amanda Righetti Jaime Pressly Adrianne Palicki
Peter Jackson unfazed by 'Hobbit' footage pushback, but will stick to 24 fps for trailers
Calm down, cinema-goers. It just takes time to "settle in" to the strange new ultra-realistic world of high frame-rates, according to Peter Jackson, who's been responding to audience's rather strong panning of 48fps rough cuts from his upcoming 3D epic, Hobbit. Viewers' main beefs were the surprising appearance of the higher cadence footage, which almost looked like it was shot on video, as well as blemishes on actors and sets which were all-too-visible without the crutch of motion blur. But Jackson insists that the footage lacked special effects and color correction, and that the showing was perhaps too short to judge the frame-rate -- which is why he also says there'll be no 48 fps trailer. He even adds that he's now "very aware of the strobing, the flicker and the artifacts" when he's watching regular 24fps cinema -- so the real struggle for audiences might not be adjusting to the new way, but going back to the old.
Peter Jackson unfazed by 'Hobbit' footage pushback, but will stick to 24 fps for trailers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ijezRCzl7jU/
Ali Larter Anna Kournikova Charli Baltimore Jessica Cauffiel Ciara
Fontana Tough to Watch but NASCAR Drivers Love to Race: Fan Opinion (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
NASCAR Sprint Cup returns to the West Coast to race the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana March 25. Fontana is a double-edged sword for NASCAR. The track is a favorite for drivers because it is smooth, wide and racy but for fans it is a long, drawn out race that usually ends...
Brooke Burns Aisha Tyler Angela Marcello Estella Warren Jessica Alba
First Look: Justin Bieber Reveals The Album Artwork For ‘Believe’
Last month we got our first look at official single cover artwork for Justin Bieber‘s new single Boyfriend (you may recall, we were shown two different photos and were asked to vote for our fave). Today we get our first look at the standard and deluxe album covers for Bieber‘s new album Believe. Click below [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/lm9peiskHxM/
Ashley Scott Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmy Rossum Jennifer Sky Emma Watson
2015 Mercedes-AMG SLC Rendered, Detailed
The evolution of the AMG subbrand can be divided into three eras—pre-Benz ownership, when AMG merely tuned Mercedes cars; subsidiary status, as vehicle development became contemporaneous; and the post-SLS period, from 2009 on, when AMG got serious about engineering and building its own sports cars for the Star. Even as it continues to tune and [...]
Claudette Ortiz Jennifer ODell Heidi Klum Elisha Cuthbert Foxy Brown
Official: Caterham delivers first production SP/300.R to the U.S. [w/videos]
It's not every day that Caterham comes out with a new car. After all, the core of its business is centered around a 55-year-old design. But the SP/300.R is an all-new product, a clean-sheet design. And after unveiling the track car built in collaboration with renowned racing chassis manufacturer Lola, the first example has been delivered.
The recipient of SP/300.R #1 is the car's US distributor, Dyson Racing. Dyson will use its SP/300.R as a demonstration vehicle to drum up sales for the racer, which promises to rival Radical in the growing market for purpose-built, LMP-style track cars. Want to see more? We've added more photos to the gallery and a pair of videos after the jump (along with the press release).
Continue reading Caterham delivers first production SP/300.R to the U.S. [w/videos]
Caterham delivers first production SP/300.R to the U.S. [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/28/caterham-delivers-first-production-sp-300-r-to-the-u-s-w-video/
Elena Lyons Gretha Cavazzoni Britney Spears Connie Nielsen Coco Lee
Sunday, 29 April 2012
March 31 is World Backup Day 2011
On March 31, as part of the global data-saving initiative, you are encouraged to back up all of your cherished photos and videos, and important documents. If you've ever had a hard disk fail, and not had a backup to fall back on, you'll know that it's a bit like losing a sizable fragment of your soul. If you've never backed up your important files -- or if you only back up sporadically -- do it on World Backup Day!
It's not hard to back up your data, either. A 2TB drive costs only a fistful of dollars, and it takes just a few minutes to set SyncToy for Windows, or Time Machine for Mac, to mirror your data every night. If you prefer a cloud-based solution, there's always SugarSync and Dropbox. Finally, don't forget that Bundlelytic has a charity giveaway for three excellent data-backup-and-recovery tools -- $160 of software for only $25, and 100% of the proceeds to go the Japanese Red Cross.
For even more backup options, for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, check our list of 13 great backup programs.
March 31 is World Backup Day 2011 originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/march-31-is-world-backup-day-2011/
Jennifer Morrison Amber Heard Ashanti Brody Dalle Danica Patrick
The Definitive Video On Why the Airplane Cellphone Ban Is Stupid [Video]
Ali Larter Anna Kournikova Charli Baltimore Jessica Cauffiel Ciara
iMore community spotlight for April 2012
iMore isn’t just a website, it’s a community fueled by millions of people who comment on the stories, give and get help on the iPhone and iPad forums, and join us each and every month in discovering great new ways to enjoy our iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads. This month we chose Ty (aka EmceeGeek) and she is exactly that kind of super engaged, incredibly helpful, truly awesome iMore community member. But enough from us, let’s let Ty do the talking.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/OW02NE8w9o4/story01.htm
Angela Marcello Estella Warren Jessica Alba Gabrielle Union Christina DaRe
Report: 40% of McLaren MP4-12Cs bound for the U.S.
Niche automakers face a difficult decision: lay out the mountain of cash it takes to have their exotic rides certified for American roads, or save the money and miss out on one of the largest markets. McLaren Automotive had the new MP4-12C homologated for the United States, and now they're thankful that they did.
According to Motor Trend, a whopping 40 percent of the 1000 orders for the MP4-12C that McLaren has taken so far have been placed by customers in the US, through its extensive dealer network here.
It was a surprise most of all for Antony Sheriff, the American who serves as McLaren Automotive's managing director. From his experiences as a racing fan on this side of the Atlantic, he felt that McLaren lacked the brand recognition that names like Ferrari and Lamborghini enjoy in a market that's had an on-again, off-again relationship with Formula One.
With the MP4-12C already off to an auspicious start, the focus at McLaren's high-tech facility in Woking, England, has turned to expanding the lineup. The successor to the legendary McLaren F1 is in the works, and the rumormill suggests that both a convertible version of the MP4-12C and a stripped-down, hardcore variant in the mold of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche 911 GT3 RS are also being developed. As for those shooting-brake rumors, we haven't been holding our breath, and wouldn't suggest you do, either.
40% of McLaren MP4-12Cs bound for the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/28/40-of-mclaren-mp4-12cs-bound-for-the-u-s/
Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)
VideoStudio Pro is aimed at home users and small business professionals who want to create professional-looking videos, but without the hassle, steep learning curve and price of Adobe Premiere Pro and the likes.
This new version introduces several features:
- Stop motion animation: You can now capture still frames using a webcam, camcorder or DSLR and use them to produce an animation. Tools such as "onion skin view" let you compare the previous image in the sequence with the current one and make the animation as smooth as possible.
- Processor optimization: Corel says the app is optimized for Intel's new Sandy Bridge systems, and have shown us some graphs with very impressive numbers. We've been unable to test this particular point, but if you have a recent-generation Intel or AMD Fusion system, VideoStudio performance should be blazing. Even on our older test system performance was quite impressive.
- Customizable workspace: You can drag the video preview window to your secondary monitor (if you have one) and tweak just about any other element in the window layout. Once done, you can save your ideal workspace in one of three slots.
- Share-to-Web: VideoStudio Pro X4 hooks directly into YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Flickr, so you don't even have to launch a browser to upload your final product. Edit, produce and share from within the app itself.
- Smart Package: Video projects typically consist of many files; Smart Package lets you bundle all video assets for a given project into one ZIP file which you can password-protect and keep in a safe place once you're done editing.
Note: We'll be running a give-away of ten VideoStudio Pro X4 licenses later today, each worth $100 USD. Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway post!
Continue reading Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)
Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/22/corel-releases-videostudio-pro-x4-we-go-hands-on/
Gretha Cavazzoni Britney Spears Connie Nielsen Coco Lee Ashley Tisdale
Google's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic Views
The five new views provide fresh and interesting ways to explore your favorite Blogger blogs. The Mosaic view, for example, creates a wall of thumbnails -- click one, and it zooms to fill the screen; click it again and it minimizes. Flipcard is similar to Mosaic, but not quite as eclectic. Sidebar, Timeslide and Snapshot round off the new views, with each one obviously targeted at different types of content, from photo blogs, to text-only philosophy blogs, and everything in between.
For now, you have to visit a Blogger blog and add /view to the URL to enable the new Dynamic Views. If you own a Blogger blog, you can disable the new views -- and really, why weren't they disabled by default?
If feedback is positive -- which we're sure it will be -- these Dynamic Views will soon be enabled by default. You'll also be able to edit the views in much the same way as current Blogger templates.
Continue reading Google's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic Views
Google's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic Views originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jessica Biel Cameron Richardson Amanda Detmer Erika Christensen Jennifer Morrison
This Company Builds Some Of the Greatest Playgrounds On Earth [Image Cache]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/FPCuC6J0nCA/
Jennifer Gareis Autumn Reeser Amber Valletta Busy Philipps Eva Green
Nine Ways To Make Yourself Smarter [How To]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ANJgi7WsHqs/nine-ways-to-make-yourself-smarter
Jennifer Morrison Amber Heard Ashanti Brody Dalle Danica Patrick
Portable Battery-Powered X-ray Machine Guarantees You'll Always Find the Best Kinder Surprise Toys [Video]
Hayden Panettiere Aki Ross Ananda Lewis Amanda Bynes Emilie de Ravin