Groshan Fabiola asked:


Eric Braeden, star of The Young and the Restless, will be receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the 20th of July at the Hollywood Boulevard.

Having a long career in the entertainment industry, the 66 year old actor has been playing the role of Victor Newman on the popular daytime series since 1980. He gained massive popularity when he played the wealthy and prominent business tycoon, earning him a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1998 and three Soap Opera Digest Awards for the same category.

Braeden is most known for his work on the popular daytime soap The Young and the Restless, however he has also appeared in other television productions such as guest roles in series such as The Rat Patrol, Mission: Impossible, Run For Your Life, Hawaii Five-O, Gunsmoke and Chips.

Braeden has also graced the big screen, appearing most notably in the blockbuster hit, Titanic (which starred Academy Award nominees Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) where he played Colonel John Jacob Astor IV. His other film credits include Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Adulteress, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Death Race, Intertect, 100 Rifles, Morituri, Colossus: The Forbin Project and Dayton’s Devils. Just recently, he concluded work on the film The Man Who Came Back, a period western that also stars Billy Zane, Armand Assante, Sean Young, James Patrick Stewart and Carol Alt.

Aside from acting, the Emmy Award winning actor has also demonstrated his great prowess in the field of sports, winning the German Youth Championship and the 1972-73 US National Soccer Championship, where he played for the Los Angeles Maccabees.

In 2005, Los Angeles City Council Chairman Tom LaBonge, with the approval of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, proclaimed February 1st as Eric Braeden Day.

For more resources about The Young and the Restless or for the full version of the story Eric Braeden to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame please review http://www.buddytv.com

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Frasier Johnson asked:


Recent news has stated that Madonna has a $120 million record and touring deal in her future. This means that she will be leaving Warner Music Group Corp. and joining in with Live Nation Inc. due to Warner Music Group’s refusal to match this large record and touring deal.

The 49 year old will receive a signing bonus of $18 million in addition to another $17 million for what will be the first of three albums to be recorded under Live Nation Inc.’s contract. This contract will be adding to the already established wealth of the superstar that has topped the list as one of the highest paid musicians in the industry.

From 2006 to 2007, Madonna bagged a total of $72 million in change but, as you can see, she will be pocketing more money in her deal with Live Nation Inc. than what she has made in her entire career. Yet her success is due to her large fan base and the fact that this fan base paid as much as $183.76 million during her “Confessions” tour of 2006. It is the concerts that pull in the cash and not so much the record sales.

But when you go to a Madonna concert, you are not going to find a bunch of thirteen year olds with t-shirts that say, “I Love Madonna!” What you are going to find are people who have followed her career from the beginning and are die hard fans. Granted you will find some younger people amongst the crowd, but these are folks who are willing to pay big bucks for the tickets, therefore they have contributed to Madonna’s wealth.

With worldwide fame and worldwide tours grossing as much as $194 million in a year, there is no doubt as to why Madonna is one of the highest paid music entertainers in the business. Besides, she has been around for a very long time and will probably stay around for many more years to come. No one can underestimate a 49 year old entertainer who has hardly missed a beat and continues to entertain and satisfy her fans every year. In that case, she deserves her wealth.

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celebs101 asked:


A leading American motion-picture actor, Pitt, Brad, was born to a high school teacher Jane Etta and a truck company owner William Alvin Pit in Shawnee Oklahoma USA on December 18, 1963. Brad’s looks, rather cunning yet smiling and seductive manner have made him one of the most popular actors of his time. In addition to his romantic roles, Pitt has also gained success as more offbeat characters. He received an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor in the science-fiction film Twelve Monkeys released in 1995. Although the birth place of William Bradley Pitt is Shawnee, Oklahoma, yet he was raised as Baptist in Springfield, Missouri. Brad’s brother Doug, and Sister Julie Neal, all grew up in Springfield where the family had moved soon after birth. Brad’s early education was completed at Kickapoo High School where he actively participated in sports, debating, and acting. He also attended University of Missouri Columbia, where he studied journalism and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity before moving to Los Angeles to study art. But instead of art and humanities, Brad took up acting as his main subject and later appeared in a number of television shows in California during the late 1980’s. Pitt made his motion-picture debut in The Dark Side of the Sun (1988).

Chronology of Performance (1994 – 2000)

Brad played Vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the movie based on the novel Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice in 1994.

Brad Pitt was nominated for an Academy Award for his best supporting role in the film Twelve Monkeys in 1995.

He also played the IRA Terrorist Rory Devany in Irish accent alongside Harrison Ford in the film The Devil’s Own in 1997.

Pitt starred as the main character in the movie Meet Joe Black in 1998. A special role Pitt performed in this film, provided him another chance to work with actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, with whom he had already worked in Legends of The Fall.

Brad Pitt went on to star in Fight Club in 1999. This movie was based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk.

Pitt, Brad then played the role of a gypsy Irish boxer in the gangster movie the Snatch in 2000.

Wedding and Later Years until 2007

After his wedding to actress Jennifer Aniston on July 29, 2000, Pitt worked with long-term friend and actress Julia Roberts in the comical road movie The Mexican in 2001.

Ever since his wedding, Brad starred in numerous films, the most famous of which were Ocean’s Twelve and the epic Troy, playing the role of legendry hero Achilles. But it was in 2005 that Brad Pitt starred in Mr. & Mrs. Smith in which he and Angelina Jolie as husband and wife jointly played the role of assassins.

Along with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Pitt made his return to Hollywood in late 2006, critically acclaiming Babel starring alongside Cate Blanchett. Some seven Academy Awards nominations were won by this movie, one of the which was a Golden Globe nomination for Pitt as the best supporting actor. The movie has since become Pitt’s highest grossing drama ever displayed through the motion picture.

Brad Pitt, undoubtedly is a seasoned actor, who has been credited for his unique artistic and at once the entertaining touch. He has also been listed among 100 top-most Influential people of the world in the Time Magazine 2007.

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steve miller asked:


When it comes to entertaining in Tokyo, most people think of a city full of spectacular neon lights, expensive restaurants and the famed Geisha. While in certain quarters, this may very well be true, when I was in this enchanting city for five days recently, I found a number of restaurants where you could have a good lunch for under $5 and a very filling dinner for under $10. On any given day, I must have passed no fewer than 25 small store-front establishments serving everything from sushi, tempura, udon (usually served as hot noodle style soup), soba (thin buckwheat flour noodles served hot as a soup or cold with an array of sauces) and set meals with tonkatsu (delicious deep fried and breaded pork- usually served with a sweet thick sauce), katsudon (fried pork cutlet over rice) as well as oyakodon (small pieces of sliced chicken, usually served with egg and vegetables over rice) and no doubt ninety other variations. Set meals often come with a small soup and salad, so for 900 yen or approximately $9, I couldn’t complain. Too make things even easier, most of these small restaurants either had a vending style machine in the front of the shop with pictures and prices where you buy a ticket that corresponds to the food you want. If no machine is present, nine times out of ten, there are plastic models of the food restaurant sells in the front case. If your Japanese language skills are not up to par at that exact moment, feel free to point at what you want. There are so many tourists and other foreigners in Japan, that restaurant employees have no qualms about going over to the window with you. The most number of these types of restaurants are often gathered around subway and train stations. But believe me, you don’t have to get out your Tokyo metro map to find a good meal.

Sitting in these ten and twenty seat restaurants, you will find a great cross section of society seated next to you. From students and retirees to the ever pervasive salary man that has been dramatized the world over. In almost every instance, someone started up a conversation with me. Even if their English wasn’t very good, they wanted to know where I was from and if it was my first time to Tokyo. My favorite question came from a very cute elderly woman, Hiroko, who was quite hunched over and had a beautiful smile on her face the whole time she was eating. After she found out that I was from Los Angeles, she wanted to know if I ever saw Angelina Jolie. I told her no, but I did tell her that I did see Brad Pitt, once. What happened next was just great. Hiroko became very excited and told the waitress what I said in my stop and go Japanese. They both giggled like little girls with Hiroko whispering to me… “Brad Pitt, very very cute!”

When you are in Tokyo, you have to check out the lower levels of the large department stores. The B1 levels usually house large food halls. You can’t eat in these places mind you. Normally, there are no tables to snack at, but you can buy very good and inexpensive gourmet food that you can take back to your hotel room to eat. Japanese don’t walk and eat in public, so I wouldn’t recommend doing it either. It isn’t thought of as polite. I made great use of these lower level markets when I was a student living in Japan. I even hawked imported fruit in one of these food emporiums. Back in the 80’s, as an American college student with blonde hair and green eyes, I was a bit of a novelty welcoming customers and imploring them to buy oranges. Needless to say, I had a lot of fingers pointed at me, but I sold a lot of food and ate very well. Another fun little adventure is going to the local supermarket. You will realize very quickly how much they resemble your own market, but that there are a lot more prepared and fresh foods to choose from, somewhat like Trader Joes and Whole Foods, if these ring a bell. Inevitably, like everywhere else, conversations will be started, smiles will be exchanged and a good will ambassador has been made.

Have fun and eat a lot.

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Marci Crane asked:


Search engines, besides providing groups and individuals with quick sources of both written and graphic digital information, are a cultural hand print of the U.S. and of the world in general. Who would have thought that such a small query box via Yahoo! or Google, plus a combination of hardware/software would provide us with a new look into the mentality and salient concerns of the human race?

And…..for search engine marketers, where does search engine marketing fit in?

Search Engine Marketing is a Response to Want
Search engine marketing is certainly more than black-hat optimization tactics and surprisingly enough is NOT a response to the great behemoth Google and it’s search engine competitors. Instead, search engine marketing is simply a response to people. A response to their wants and desires. A response to their triumphs, to their guilt, to their obsessions or their thoughts. The zeitgeist of a nation can be interesting; it can be fearful, but mostly it can be instructive.

Search Engine Marketing: It’s Not about the Best or the Brightest
Search engine trends from the year 20061 can be quite revealing and may also betray why search engine marketing isn’t necessarily about providing the best or the brightest but simply about providing what people want.

Take a look at some of 2006’s top searches, or trends and you will find what users really want or at least would like to know more about. At the very least, it’s interesting to see what people are thinking.

Take Yahoo!’s top searches for instance. According to information provided by sfgate.com2, the top ten Yahoo! searches (after filtering adult references, company names and generic items (perhaps like the weather)) were as follows:

1. Britney Spears
2. WWE
3. Shakira
4. Jessica Simpson
5. Paris Hilton
6. American Idol
7. Beyonce Knowles
8. Chris Brown
9. Pamela Anderson
10. Lindsay Lohan
The results show that people (at least Yahoo! searchers) are thinking about other people; not just “ordinary” people however. They are thinking about the celebrity genre. What’s the fascination? Perhaps people assume that fame, wealth and glamor can be learned, instead of acquired. Perhaps only time will tell. At any rate it is easy to see that the cultural zeitgeist of the U.S. is to some degree focused on celebrities.
What does it mean for the filed of search engine marketing?
What does the Yahoo! info project for the field of search engine marketing? Well, it’s obvious really. If you want to sell, then use people who are famous, wealthy or glamorous to sell your products or services and the American people won’t turn a blind eye.

Ask.com also allowed it’s most popular search terms3 to be released as well. Keep in mind that the following terms, like those from Yahoo!, have also been filtered for adult references, etc. They are as follows:

1. MySpace
2. Dictionary
3. Games
4. Cars
5. Food
6. Song lyrics
7. Poems
8. New York
9. Baby names
10. Music
These terms seem to be a long stone’s throw away from the world of celebrities that Yahoo! presents. In fact, the underlying theme of these terms would seem to be entertainment and lifestyle. The MySpace reference perhaps also shows the importance that people place on connecting with others. It would make one wonder if the Yahoo! references point to the idea that what people really want when they search for celebrities is to connect with someone who has wealth, fame, etc. At any rate, it is obvious that Ask.com questioners take care (or want to take care) to live well.

What does it mean for the field of search engine marketing?
In the field of search engine marketing, selling your clients’ products while using entertainment or lifestyle boons is an effective way to attract American clickers.

Google Hot Trends: Another Clue for Search Engine Marketing Professionals
Google Hot Trends presents a different menagerie for the year 2006 and that is because Google did not publish a list of the most popular terms but instead published a list of those terms that have grown most in popularity (in terms of raw percentages) instead. These terms include the following:

1. Bebo
2. MySpace
3. World Cup
4. Metacafe
5. Radioblog
6. Wikipedia
7. Video
8. Rebelde
9. Mininova
10. Wiki
Media and people (MySpace) seem to be the theme for the Google Hot Trends.

What does this mean for the field of search engine marketing?
What does this have to do with search engine marketing? Search engine marketers need to remember what people want the most. In this case it seems that it would be to connect with people, live life well and having access to media (excluding searches for adult terms) seem to be what’s on the mind of Americans everywhere. Perhaps however marketers are already well aware of these trends and are busily emphasizing how their clients’ products or services can contribute to what Americans want most.

1 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/25/BUGOBN387R1.DTL
2 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/25/BUGOBN387R1.DTL
3 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/25/BUGOBN387R1.DTL

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Devon Brown asked:


BBW is an acronym for “Big Beautiful Women.” In the past, a big beautiful body was associated with health and wealth. As a matter of fact, up until the 1960’s, BBW and plus size women were lauded for their beautiful physiques. The plus size woman appeared in almost all of the fashion photographs, films, and paintings of the 1920’s-1950’s. When did all of this change?

In the 1960’s, plus size fashion rapidly disappeared from the covers of magazines and on the silver screen. Many people attribute this changing trend to the first teenage supermodel –Twiggy. Ironically, Twiggy’s name suited her slender frame quite well. Instead of plus size blouses, plus size dresses, and skirts, Twiggy wore slinky dresses which hugged her small frame. In 1967, Marshall McLuhan boldly said: “Twiggy is an Xray, not a picture.”

Unlike plus size BBW, who portray a picture of health and happiness, Twiggy looked ill at a mere 95 pounds. Unfortunately, women all over the world quickly became unhappy with their bodies and fashion choices. Clothes that were made for small-framed girls were bright, fashionable, and affordable. The options for plus size BBW? Well, let’s just say they weren’t so glamorous in the 1960’s.

BBW and plus size women were largely ignored in the 1970’s and 1980’s as well. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that BBW and plus size women had enough. Curvy women and full-figured women were tired of trying to obtain an idea of perfection that was sold to them through every media median. Billboards, magazines, television shows, radio commercials and films portrayed Anna Nicole Smith, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, and Kate Moss with their “perfect” bodies in the hottest designer fashions.

Then, as the millennium approached, the world watched in shock as something happened: tabloids and reality television began sharing the private lives of these models. Being thin wasn’t as glitzy, glamorous, and easy as it seemed. When the cameras weren’t rolling and the photographers weren’t around, many of these models struggled to stay thin. BBW and plus size women were finally able to let out a sign of relief. In a fashion-conscious world that oppressed plus size women and BBW for so long, BBW were finally recognized as being healthier than the small-framed models. But, at what cost? How many BBW and plus size women developed eating disorders in their pursuits of thinner bodies? We may never know.

In 2002, the world tuned in to watch the shocking reality sitcom the “Anna Nicole Show.” Although Anna Nicole’s life inarguably looked disastrous, no one could deny that she had gone from a slim Guess model in the 90’s to a plus size BBW over the course of a decade. She eventually experienced success, not only from her reality sitcom, but as a plus size clothing designer. Unfortunately, Anna Nicole Smith died as a result of an overdose. Her untimely death, as well as her son’s, is still shrouded by mystery.

Many people wonder if Anna Nicole Smith was the first famous BBW plus size model. It’s safe to say that this is disputable. Emme (Melissa) Aronson is recognized as the first BBW plus size model by many high-standing members of the fashion world, and Angellika is the first plus-size model that was inducted into the modeling Hall of Fame. It’s all subjective, really.

Nevertheless, all of these women paved the way for plus size BBW all over the world. Women, finally, have been recognized and accepted in every shape and form. Beauty is no longer defined by single digit clothing sizes. BBW and plus size women are beautiful and deserve the opportunity to flaunt their assets and feel comfortable in their own skin.

Does BBW fashion emulate the fashion seen on the runway? It doesn’t emulate runway fashion, it is runway fashion. Take a look at what the stars are wearing the next time you seem them in magazines. You’re just as likely to find a designer gown on a star like Queen Latifah as you are to see it on a smaller-framed celebrity like Kate Hudson. Designers are finally catering to bigger women. The BBW plus size woman doesn’t have to feel ashamed of her wardrobe anymore!

BBW plus size women’s fashion is carried by most retailers. Nevertheless, it may feel tricky to find designer BBW clothing, especially if you don’t live in the city. Fortunately, online retailers provide a convenient way to shop for BBW plus size pants, shirts, dresses, jackets, and skirts. Shopping for BBW plus size clothing has never been easier or more convenient than it is now. It’s time for you to accept your body and love your body the way it is. Find inspiration from plus size models that paved the way for acceptance, self-love, and designer BBW plus size fashion.

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Janet Martin asked:


Your friends say you’re fat and you decide to lose some weight. So what do you do? Go directly to the gym and start exercising? Plan your meals and eat smaller portions? Consult a doctor or a nutritionist?

Nah! Who says you have to suffer when you can easily lose weight without exercising or dieting?! At least that’s what the promoters of these crazy diets say. All promise a quick fix, dramatic results, and testimonials from your favorite movie star or celebrity. They’re easy to follow and they’re guaranteed. The problem is, most of them don’t work!

“Fad diets don’t promote proper maintenance of the weight that has been lost. Most of the popular diets are nutritionally inadequate and include certain foods that people would not typically eat in large amounts,” according to Denise Mann of WebMD.

“Any eating or exercise pattern that causes you to eat fewer calories than you burn will lead to weight loss. However, some diets lead to a rapid weight loss that is quickly regained when normal eating resumes. Others may cause you to miss out on essential nutrients. Still others promote eating habits that may lead to high intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol, possibly increasing the risk for heart disease and some types of cancer,” added eatrightmississippi.com.

If you have limbs to spare, the Amputation Diet is for you. This bizarre diet will help you lose weight if you do away with certain body parts. For instant weight reduction, it recommends a haircut, trimming nails, giving blood, breast reduction, or donating a kidney that can help you lose three pounds. Cool huh? After all, who needs those extra organs!

The Three-Day Diet lets you eat less than 600 calories a day for three days. That sounds pretty easy except that for vital organs like the brain, lungs and liver to function, you need at least 1,323 calories a day! How will will you possibly survive if you follow this diet?

Rachel McAdams and Beyonce Knowles claim they battled the bulge by following the Maple Syrup Diet. Knowles supposedly lost 20 pounds by drinking a concoction of maple syrup, lemon juice, water, and cayenne pepper for 14 days. McAdams says drinking maple syrup keeps her thin since sugar makes her hyperactive and forces her “to run around like crazy and work it all off.” Experts warned that such a diet can lead to diabetes.

“A little bit of maple syrup now and then on a whole wheat pancake would be just fine. (But) drinking maple syrup regularly is a terrible idea nutritionally. It is really no different than sugar or refined starch metabolically,” said Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health and the author of “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating.”

High-protein, low carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet promote weight loss by limiting your intake of carbohydrates. This can put the body in a state of ketosis that curbs the appetite but causes water and muscle breakdown. Excessive water loss can lead to dehydration while muscle breakdown can strain your liver and kidneys. Other symptoms of ketosis are weakness, nausea, irritability, and bad breath.

If you value your health, don’t fall into any of these diet traps. The best diet is one that includes all foods and will help you develop healthy eating habits. Consult a doctor or dietitian for advice. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

For those who want to enhance their diet and exercise program, taking supplements like Zylorin can help. Zylorin contains special ingredients that will improve the way you look and renew your confidence. Visit http://www.zylorin.com for more information.

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