Elizabeth Taylor, a beauty and a giant of the silver screen. I love every movie that she made. Yes, even Cleopatra, of which I never been able to sit through entire movie. My three favorite Liz Taylor movies are Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and this one from her early days, Little Woman where she played Amy.
I am an admitted news junkie – always watching CNN, getting news alerts on my droid, reading TIME (yeech!) and reading Huffington Post on-line – but when I went to HuffPost’s entertainment page (out of curiosity) today, I have to admit I was a little confused given all that is going on in the world. I rarely pay attention to so-called “entertainment news” and this would account for why I was totally clueless as to what’s behind the headlines listed below. I’ve included my initial thoughts upon reading each headline:
| Ashlee Simpson’s Rebound Flame ‘Shocked’ Pete Wentz | Ashlee? That’s Jessica’s sister, right? At least I know that much…. |
| PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian Busts Out | Hmmmm…. pass |
| Jay Baruchel’s Proposal: ‘Sh*t Or Get Off The Pot’ | Don’t know who this is and I’m sure I don’t care. Thank you very much Mister P@tty-m@#th. |
| Aretha Franklin Addresses Gastric Bypass Rumors | Oh no she din’nt + TMI |
| PHOTOS: Olivia Wilde Rocks A Teeny Bikini | Sure, I’d like to see this, but who is Olivia Wilde? |
| LISTEN: Britney Spears Reveals Three New Songs | Please God, make it stop… |
| Lohan Evacuates Apartment After Tsunami Warning | She did what?!!!? Oh… Oh, okay I get it. |
| PHOTOS: Eddie Murphy’s Ex-Wife Shows Off Her Six Pack | Oh no she din’nt + TMI |
| Palin On ‘Game Change’ Movie: I’ll ‘Grit My Teeth & Bear’ It | Sarah, why are you still here? |
| Guess The Oscar Winner’s Kid | Hmmmm…. Pass |
| Charlie Sheen Gets Denied! | It’s about time. |
| Jim Moret: For Charlie, Growing up Is Hard to Do | FUN FACT: Jim Moret is the son of 60’s teen idol James Darin. |
| Tony Danza GETTING DIVORCED | It’s about time… I’m sorry to hear that… I don’t know what to say… Oh, yeah, how about, what has he done lately? |
| Simon Cowell RIPS Elton John | This doesn’t mean what I think it means… If so, I’m guessing Simon is a topsy. |
| PHOTOS: Jonah Hill’s Epic Weight Loss | Okaaay… and… Jonah Hill was/is (what?) fat? Tell me again who Jonah Hill is. |
| WATCH: Kate Winslet Wears Nothing But A Sheet | Sure I’d like to see that, but who is Kate Winslet? |
| Ryan Phillippe: ‘I’m Dating, But…’ | I’m vomiting, but…. |
| Scarlett Johansson In 11 Revealing Moments | Hmmmm…. pass… wait, maybe this is… nah… |
| PHOTOS, INFO: Meet Ashlee Simpson’s New Man | Ashlee, why are you still here? |
| Mel Gibson CHARGED | I guessing this means that he was charged with a crime, but hoping that it means that he was electrocuted. |
| Who Was Eliminated From ‘Idol’? | Lost interest two seasons ago. |
| WATCH: Keira Knightley Dons Tight Catsuit | Sure I’d like to see that, but, really, who is Keira Knightley? |
| Kelsey Grammer’s Daughter Reportedly Pregnant | How can a woman be “reportedly” pregnant? Isn’t it “you’re either pregnant or you’re not”? |
| PHOTOS: Britney Dons Skimpy Leotard | I think I’m going to be sick… |
| ‘Real World’ Cast Member Has Secret Gay Porn Past | {SEE ALL OF THE ABOVE} |
When we think of Mardi Gras New Orleans comes to mind, but Mardi Gras is celebrated throughout the world. One town in Belgium has been celebrating Mardi Gras annually since the 14th century.
From Wikipedia:
The carnival of Binche is an event that takes place each year in the Belgian town of Binche during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. The carnival is the most known of several others that take place in Belgium at the same time and has been proclaimed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity listed by UNESCO. Its history dates back to approximately the 14th century.
Events related to the carnival begin up to seven weeks prior to the primary celebrations. Street performances and public displays traditionally occur on the Sundays approaching Ash Wednesday, consisting of prescribed musical acts, dancing, and marching. Large numbers of Binche’s inhabitants spend the Sunday directly prior to Ash Wednesday in costume.
The centrepiece of the carnival’s proceedings are clown-like performers known as Gilles. Appearing, for the most part, on "Shrove" Tuesday, the Gilles are characterised by their vibrant dress, wax masks and wooden footwear. They number up to 1,000 at any given time, range in age from 3 to 60, and are customarily male. The honour of being a Gille at the carnival is something that is to be aspired to by local men. From dawn on the morning of the carnival’s final day, Gilles appear in the centre of Binche, to dance to the sound of drums and ward evil spirits away with sticks. Later, during the day, they don large hats adorned with ostrich plumes, which can cost upwards of $300 US dollars to rent, and march through the town with baskets of oranges. These oranges are thrown to, and sometimes at, members of the crowd gathered to view the procession. The vigour and longevity of the orange throwing event has in past caused damage to property – some residents choose to seal windows to prevent this.
See also:
What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the heart of the new PBS series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Building on the success of his series African American Lives (called by the New York Times "the most exciting and stirring documentary on any subject to appear on television in a long time,") and African American Lives 2, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. again turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans.
The series premieres nationally Wednesdays, February 10 – March 3, 2010 from 8-9 p.m. ET on PBS.
For more information please see Faces of America at PBS.org
