London, England, United Kingdom (Celebrity News Service) – Latin pop star Ricky Martin says he hopes to add a little girl to his brood.

During a recent interview with British newspaper The Gaurdian, the 39-year-old singer revealed that he would like to have a little sister for his three-year-old twin sons Matteo and Valentino.

The two boys were born in August 2008 via a surrogate.

Martin, who is set to star as Che Guevara in the Broadway show of “Evita” next year in New York City, said he wishes to have a daughter once his performances are over.

“I’ll be steady in New York, and then, after I do the play, the baby will be born, and I’m going to be able to spend time with her.”

With same-sex marriage now legal in New York, the openly gay singer also said he hopes the same happens in his Caribbean homeland of Puerto Rico, so that he could marry his longtime boyfriend Carlos Gonzalez there.

“It’s funny because, you know, we never talked about it, but now the question is coming up in interviews all the time,” he said. “The other day we were reading a magazine and we were like, ‘You’re cool with this, right? No pressure?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m cool, everything is cool.’ Not yet.”

Martin said he hopes the ban gets lifted during his children’s lifetime.

“Whenever it’s time, I would love the option to marry in my land, my island. But unfortunately it’s not an option for us yet, which I think is ridiculous. But it’s part of a very beautiful process that’s happening around the world little by little. Hopefully I will see it, and my kids will see it.”

View full post on Arts, Culture And Entertainment Stories

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN Entertainment) – Jeff Conaway, best known for his roles as Bobby Wheeler on “Taxi” and Kenickie in the classic musical “Grease,” died Friday at the age of 60.

According to RadarOnline.com, Conaway passed Friday after being hospitalized for weeks. The actor, who checked into an LA hospital May 11th, was reportedly being taken off life support.

Conaway had no brain activity and had his feeding tube removed on Thursday. A source told Radar that Jeff was “in no pain whatsoever.”

Conaway had a history of problems with substance abuse, even appearing on Dr. Drew’s “Celebrity Rehab” show for VH1 back in 2008. He married twice, including Rona Newton John, sister of “Grease” co-star Olivia Newton John, and later Michele Conaway. He had no children.

Conaway also starred in the hit sci-fi series “Babylon 5″ and continued to make television guest appearances and work on smaller films over the years, most recently filming the independent thriller “Dark Games” for release this year.

View full post on All Stories

Miami, FL, United States (AHN Entertainment) – What does Rapper Pitbull and Miami Heat star LeBron James have in common? Not sure, but the unlikely duo is hoping to cash in on a new energy product.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the two Miami residents have joined forces with popular brand builders Warren Struhl, Jesse Itzler, and Maverick Carter to launch a new innovative energy product called “Sheets,” which promises to provide hours of energy.

“Taking Sheets is part of my pre-game and halftime ritual,” James said in the statement. “I’ve tried tons of other products in the past and none compare. Sheets are a smart and convenient way to get energy.”

The paper-thin dissolvable strips, which are placed on the tongue, are said to contain the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee as well as vitamins B and E.

The strips come in two flavors: Cinnamon Rush and Berry Blast. But makers promise more flavors in the future.

As part of its $10 million marketing campaign, James and Pitbull have also recruited other celebrities such as New York Knicks player Amar’e Stoudemire, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, singer Drake and former rap group DMC.

“I approached the Sheets team after using the product and becoming a believer,” said Pitbull. “Like any product I get involved with my main goal is always to empower the Latin community.”

He added. “The guys at Sheets handed me and my crew the keys to make sure it’s done the right way.”

This is not the first time James has branched out from the basketball court to the business world. Last month, he and Fenway Sports Management signed a deal that will give the athlete a minority interest in the soccer club Liverpool.

The partnership marks the first time that a professional athlete at the top of his game has taken an ownership interest in Liverpool.

A pack of Sheets energy strips go for $5.95, and are currently being sold on www.takeasheet.com.

View full post on All Stories

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN Entertainment) – Masi Oka, who’s best known as the lovable space-time manipulator in the NBC series “Heroes,” is working on a time-traveling pilot script for Syfy.

The 36-year-old, who was born in Tokyo, Japan, is teaming up with writer Alex Sabeti on a new show called, “The Correctors,” reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The script follows two agents who are dispatched to a parallel universe where they inhabit the bodies of their identical selves in order to stop events from occurring.

Sabeti and Oka developed the story and Sabeti will write the script, while Masi will star and executive produce.

Fantasy adventures projects are right up Sabeti’s alley. The screenwriter has worked on hit films such as “The Art of Cool” and “Deryni Rising,” which tells the tale of a young prince who must defend the throne from the Deryni, a race of people with magical abilities.

Oka has appeared in various feature films and television shows since “Heroes” was canceled in May 2010.

Oka currently plays coroner Max Bergman in CBS’ “Hawaii-Five-O” reboot.

View full post on Arts, Culture And Entertainment Stories

Los Angeles, CA, United States (CNS) – After the success of “The Vanilla Ice Project,” which will premiere a second season later this year, even more celebrities are getting in on the home renovation game on DIY Network. Among them are a Kardashian, a “Transformers” star and some “Entourage” members.

The new show “Hollywood Hi-Tech” will follow Hollywood A-Listers as they give their A-List homes a high-tech makeover. Among the celebrities to be featured are Khloe Kardashian and husband/NBA champ Lamar Odom, “Entourage” stars Jeremy Piven and Kevin Connolly, and “Transformers” star Josh Duhamel.

Lifestyle and technology expert Janna Robinson will host the show which sees her joining the celebs for the initial consultation and throughout the makeover process, until they’re outfitted with all the super high-tech gear.

“While other TV shows have occasionally included short segments about custom-installation home entertainment, it’s never been the focus, much less had an entire TV series devoted to it,” said DIY Network programming VP Ross Babbit. “With the launch of Hollywood Hi-Tech (wt), that is about to change, as we bring the latest and greatest technology for the home to a new, nationwide audience.”

While the show won’t premiere until June, attendees of the 2011 International CES, the world’s largest technology tradeshow, will get a sneak peek of clips from the show. The 2011 International CES starts January 6th.

View full post on Arts, Culture And Entertainment Stories

Canberra, Australia (CNS) – “Crocodile Dundee” star Paul Hogan has been cleared of tax evasion Tuesday after five years of being a suspect in the investigation. The Australian Crime Commission decided to drop the case because there are “insufficient prospects of securing convictions.”

The 71-year-old actor and his artistic collaborator John Cornell were cleared of ay criminal wrongdoing in relation to their offshore tax affairs.

The ACC said in a statement, “This decision has been made following a careful process, including obtaining high-level legal advice on some issues.”

“On the material presently available to the ACC, including documents recently obtained as a result of overseas inquiries, the ACC has concluded that there are insufficient prospects of securing convictions to justify continuing with its investigation this time.”

However, Hogan’s civil case brought up by the Australian Tax Office is still on. He allegedly owes taxes on an estimated $40 million of undeclared income.

Earlier this year, while in the country to attend his mother’s funeral, he was barred from returning to Los Angeles for two weeks over the tax issue. He was subsequently granted permission to return to his U.S. home.

View full post on All Stories

New York, NY, United States (NewsBahn) – Perhaps she’s just looking for another paycheck? Despite their second film’s poor showing at the box office and overall dismal reviews, actress Kristen Davis says she wouldn’t mind filming a third installment for the “Sex and the City” franchise.

Davis, who played quirky Charlotte in the hit HBO show, tells Britain’s Daily Mirror: “There are no plans that I know of but I would love to do a third film.”

She adds: “We all want to do it, I guess it’s just figuring out whether it’s the right thing to do and if we can move the characters further any more.”

Although the first “Sex and the City” film was a hit back in 2008 with rave reviews and die-hard fans excited to see Carrie and friends on the big screen, the second film released earlier this year failed to generate the same buzz.

Some reviewers panned the film, calling it “a marathon viewing of an entire seventh season that should have never been made.”

Meanwhile, Davis is currently working on a new sitcom for ABC. She says the producers are “writing a script at the moment and it’s from a book called ‘The Happiness Project’.”

View full post on Arts, Culture And Entertainment Stories

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – While Johnny Weir announced over the summer he’d be taking time off from skating, the three-time U.S. skating champion and reality star is set to hit the ice next week…as judge of ABC’s “Skating with the Stars.”

26-year-old Weir, who also starred in his own reality show “Be Good Johnny Weir,” and created a fashion line, music single, and book, will use his expertise as a two-time Olympic medalist and World medalist to critique the celebrities taking the ice.

The superstar skater will be joined by Laurieann Gibson, who’s choreographed for Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, and Dick Button, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and two-time Olympic champion, known as the “Voice” of figure skating.

The three will judge celebrity contestants Bethenny Frankel, of “Real Housewives of NYC” and “Bethenny Getting Married?” fame Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil, “Blade Runner” star Sean Young, Brandon Mychal Smith of the Disney Channel hit “Sonny with a Chance,” “All My Children” star Rebecca Budig, and former Olympic skier Jonny Moseley.

“Skating with the Stars,” from the producers of the hit “Dancing with the Stars,” will pair up celebrities with world class ice skaters to compete in front of millions. Just like it’s sister show, a panel of judges will give scores, and viewers at home will as well with their votes, sending one couple off the ice each week.

“Skating with the Stars” will premiere Monday, November 22nd at 9pm ET on ABC.

View full post on All Stories

So, fire up the barbecue grill, look up at the fireworks, and strike up the band as we reveal the secrets behind the most influential nationalistic musical moments of all time.

“Star Spangled Banner,” Francis Scott Key, 1814.
Schoolchildren in America all learn how Key watched the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and so admired the courage of the beleaguered American forces that he wrote four stanzas of “The Star Spangled Banner” (only the first is usually performed). Key based the melody on an English drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.” The song has only been the national anthem since 1931, and there was a strong movement to replace it with one of the other songs on this list.

“America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee),” Samuel F. Smith, 1832.
The music was composed in the 1700s, sometimes attributed to Henry Cary. First popular in Great Britain as “God Save the King (Queen),” the song became bi-continental in 1832. Modern audiences have been greatly moved by the R&B version by Ray Charles, a truly wonderful blending of emotion with what musicians call “the groove.”

“Rally ‘Round the Flag,” George F. Root, 1862.
Written for the Union army and its supporters during the Civil War, the song was hugely popular in the North. This didn’t prevent Confederate troops from writing their own lyrics and singing the song throughout the South.

“When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” Louis Lambert, c. 1863.
Lambert was a pseudonym for Union Army Bandmaster Patrick S. Gilmore. His lyrics, set to an old Irish folk song, were popular through the whole Reconstruction Era (1865-1896). It appears in an extended instrumental version on the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick’s film “Dr. Strangelove.”

“Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Julia W. Howe, 1861.
Howe is another lyricist who succeeded by utilizing a pre-existing piece of music, in this case a camp meeting tune of the 19th century (which also became “John Brown’s Body”). The profound power of the words combined with the compelling melody cannot be denied, and it was sung at the funerals of Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

“Overture: 1812,” Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1880.
Patriotic music doesn’t always revolve around the July 4th celebration, or even refer to the USA. Tchaikovsky got Russian hearts a-pounding with his “1812 Overture in E Flat Major Op. 49,” written to celebrate the 70th anniversary of his country’s victory battle during the Napoleonic Wars.

“Semper Fidelis,” John Philip Sousa, 1889.
Popular ever since it was first performed, the effective and spirited tune takes its name from the U.S. Marine Corps motto meaning “always faithful” and is dedicated to the Marines.

“America the Beautiful,” Katharine Lee Bates, 1895, 1904, 1913.
Originally a poem that Bates twice revised after its first publication in 1885, “America the Beautiful” was sung to several different melodies. The song associated with it today is “Materna,” composed by Samuel A. Ward in 1882, but it was also often performed to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.”

“Stars and Stripes Forever,” John Philip Sousa, 1896.
Composed on Christmas Day, “The Stars and Stripes Forever” has become the country’s official march (US Code, Title 36 Chapter 10). Sousa wrote lyrics to the song, but they are little known today (sample: “Let martial note in triumph float / And liberty extend its mighty hand / A flag appears ‘mid thunderous cheers, / The banner of the Western land.)”

“Yankee Doodle Boy,” George M. Cohan, 1904.
“You’re A Grand Old Flag,” George M. Cohan, 1906.
“Over There,” George M. Cohan, 1917.
Known as “the man who owned Broadway,” Cohan was a superstar before the term was coined. While his film biography is called “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” the title of his first big tribute to America is actually “The Yankee Doodle Boy.” Cohan excited U.S. audiences again in 1906 with “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” although the original line was “You’re a Grand Old Rag.” It was America’s entrance into World War I in 1917 that inspired Cohan to write “Over There,” for which he received a congressional medal.

“God Bless America,” Irving Berlin, 1938.
The prolific Berlin (900+ songs despite being unable to read music) originally wrote this song right after the first World War, but did not complete it until just before World War II. Kate Smith first performed it during her radio show on Armistice Day, 1938. An immediate sensation, the song was often suggested to replace the “Star Spangled Banner” as the national anthem.

“Star Spangled Banner,” Jimi Hendrix, 1969.
The legendary guitarist took the stage near dawn on the final day of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The 13th song in his hour-long set was an incendiary rendition of the venerable tune. In a performance that was somehow savage and grand at the same time, Hendrix wrestled new levels of emotion from the song and generations have never heard it quite the same way again.

“Apocalypse Now,” Francis Ford Coppola, 1979.
The music in question is “Ride of the Valkyries,” from Richard Wagner’s opera, “Die Walkure” (1854-56). The composition fit perfectly into director Coppola’s nightmarish vision of the Vietnam War. The sequence, featuring a helicopter attack at dawn, never fails to raise the emotions of viewers.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites.
http://www.allhottips.com
http://www.bookstoretoday.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/patriotic-music-some-surprising-secrets-about-those-flagwaving-sounds-1328874.html

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Eric McCormack, from “Will and Grace” fame, has signed up to play the lead role in TNT¹s new show “Perception.” This is a new pilot from executive producer Kenneth Biller, who produced “Smallville,” and co-executive producer Mike Sussman, who produced “Star Trek: Voyager.”

This will be McCormack¹s third time working with TNT – he starred in the short-lived the 2009 series “Trust Me” and co-produced the 2007 pilot “Imperfect Union.” In addition to his new starring role, the actor will also act as a producer on “Perception.”

“Perception” is about Dr. Geoffrey Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist who uses his unique outlook to help the federal government solve complex cases. His knowledge of human behavior and understanding of the human mind, helps the quirky professor pull lessons from an odd and imaginative view of the world. Biller and Sussman both wrote the pilot episode.

“Eric McCormack is an intelligent, intuitive and versatile actor who is adept at both comedy and drama,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We’re very excited to work with him again and can¹t wait to see what he brings to the fascinating character of Dr. Geoffrey Pierce.”

Unlike “Trust Me,” TNT’s show about a small advertising agency in Chicago, which only lasted one season, maybe McCormack will have better luck with “Perception.”

View full post on Arts, Culture And Entertainment Stories