Namitha

American Idol

From Carrie Underwood to Clay Aiken to Antonella Barba

Created by Simon Fuller, former manager of Spice Girls, American Idol has been one of the most successful reality shows of recent times. The show is about a talent hunt to find good singers (‘great singers’ if you ask Simon Cowell) in each season from across America, with the audience’s vote deciding the winner. It is into its 6th season currently and all involved with the show have had their life changed by it. Be it the contestants or the judges, fame has embraced them all although not always for their singing abilities.
It is almost surprising to look back and see that the first American Idol season premiered with absolutely no hype in 2002. But word of mouth generated about the talent of the contestant and the no holds barred comments of British judge Simon Cowell pushed the show’s ratings over the roof. By the time of the season finale it was estimated that fifty million people had tuned in to the show. The winner that year, Kelly Clarkson, went on to have a successful singles career and a star was born.

In subsequent seasons Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks all won the title. However they all have had varying degrees of success in their singles career. While the women had greater success, the men are finding it tough in the music industry. Kelly Clarkson is a Grammy Award winner. Fantasia and Carrie Underwood both have had number ones in the Billboard charts. As for the men, both Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hick found somebody they had beaten in the American Idol beating them in record sales. While Clay Aiken beat out Ruben in record sales, Chris Daughtry outsold Taylor.
It was not only the winners whose lives were changed by the show. The non-winner of American Idol who has had the most successful musical career must be Clay Aiken. Clay Aiken has released 3 albums so far. His first solo album, Measure of a Man, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, was the highest-selling debut for a solo artist in 10 years, and to date the highest debut of any Idol. Following it Clay Aiken has been in the limelight with a number of tours and TV appearances. Clay has even lent his voice and efforts for multiple charity events show casing his commitment to causes close to his heart.

Another Idol non-winner who has made it big is Jennifer Hudson. She was recently in the limelight for winning most of the awards in Hollywood, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best supporting actress, for her role of Effie White in the movie Dreamgirls. Other notable non-winners to have had successful careers were Chris Daughtry and Bo Bice.
The show was life changing for the judges too. Simon Cowell became an international celebrity through his image of being the villain in the show. He was so successful that in every country where the show had a spin off there was one judge who would play the villain. But none of them were as good as the Simon Cowell for the title of ‘The man you loved to Hate'.

Paula Abdul, a yesteryear pop star, came back into the limelight for her compassionate assessment of the contestants. She became the perfect contrast to Simon Cowell, sometimes even going to the limit of public altercations with him on TV. Randy Jackson on the other hand has had to overcome his weight related issues.
A show of such popularity cannot be without its share of controversies too. In the second season of American Idol when out of 24 million votes casted; Studdard finished just 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken. The accuracy of this result is still disputed. There was much discussion in the communication industry about the phone system being overloaded, and that more than 150 million votes were dropped, making the voting invalid. Since then, the voting methods have been modified to avoid this problem.

Also during Season 2 Corey Clark, who was kicked off the show because of a police record he had not disclosed earlier, alleged that he had an affair with judge Paula Abdul. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show because of their alleged romance. A subsequent investigation by Fox found no evidence to support Clark's charges.
In Season 3 the controversy was over the legitimacy of the contest itself was questioned when Jon Peter Lewis, John Stevens stayed afloat despite bad performances while others who gave better performances were unexpectedly eliminated. While in Season 5 it came to light that Bucky Covington has had prior troubles with law. It seems he and his twin brother had switched places in an effort to confuse the police in 1988.

The current season of the American Idol has been overshadowed by the Antonella Barba scandal. Some provocative pictures of Barba has surfaced on the internet. The pictures show Antonella topless in a beach with other women. This has garnered much media attention of late with Fox News featuring a full segment of the controversy in its O’Reily Factor. Photos of Barba posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. have also surfaced. Antonella Barba’s friends have claimed that these pictures are fakes. Ultimately she was voted off in the previous episode.
Despite the controversy there is no denying the fact that the show has discovered some undisputable talent from its inception. Moreover it is a platform for talented singers in the country to showcase their stuff which might have gone to waste otherwise. It offers the dream of fame and success to ordinary people. Its spin offs have been equally successful. The third season of the Indian Idol is about to start, and let’s hope they are as successful as their American counterparts in unearthing great talent.

Little Roby

Little Roby's Test

A first-grade teacher was having trouble with one of her students.
The teacher asked, "Roby what is your problem?" Roby answered, "I'm too smart for the first-grade. My sister is in the third -grade and I'm smarter than she is! I think I should be in the third-grade too!"
The teacher had had enough.
She took Roby to the principal's office.
While Roby waited in the outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation was.
The principal told the teacher he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of his questions he was to go back to the first-grade and behave.
The teacher agreed.
Roby was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.
Principal: "What is 3 x 3?"
Roby: "9".
Principal: "What is 6 x 6?"
Roby: "36".
And so it went with every question the principal thought a third-grade should know.
The principal looks at the teacher and tells her, "I think Roby can go to the third-grade."
The teacher says to the principal, "Let me ask him some questions?"
The principal and Roby both agree.
The teacher asks, "What does a cow have four of that I have only two of?"
Roby, after a moment, "Legs."
Teacher: "What is in your pants that you have but I do not have?"
The principal wondered, why does she ask such a question!
Roby replied, "Pockets."
Teacher: "What does a dog do that a man steps into?"
Roby: "Pants"
Teacher: What's starts with a C and ends with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin whitish liquid?
Roby: Coconut
The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer,
Roby was taking charge.
Teacher: What goes in hard and pink then comes out soft and sticky?
Roby: Bubblegum
Teacher: What does a man do standing up, a woman do sitting down and a dog do on three legs?
The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer.
Roby: Shake hands
Teacher: Now I will ask some "Who am I" sort of questions, okay?
Roby: Yep.
Teacher: You stick your poles inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do.
Roby: Tent
Teacher: A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first.
Principal was looking restless and bit tense.
Roby: Wedding Ring
Teacher: I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip. When you blow me, you feel good.
Roby: Nose
Teacher: I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver.
Roby: Arrow
Teacher: What word starts with an 'F' and ends in 'K' that means a lot of excitement?
Roby: Firetruck
The principal breathed a sigh of relief and told the teacher, "Put Roby in the fifth-grade, I missed the last ten questions myself."

Dream Bike

Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza (born November 15, 1986) is an Indian tennis player. She was born in Mumbai but brought up in Hyderabad. Coached by her father Imran Mirza, she began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She was the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with career high rankings of number 31 in singles and 24 in doubles. She is now ranked 48th in singles and 38th in doubles as of April 9th, 2007.

Nevada Shoe Tree

Between the small towns of Fallon and Austin stands a tree on the side of the highway. Much like the gum tree in Ohio, it has become a living, breathing work of collective art - a piece which has an unwritten history and a fluid, unending future. It exists by the sheer will of its anonymous participants and the spirit of conspiracy. I present to you, in all its breathtaking majesty and glory, the Nevada shoe tree. more images after the break...

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Good Boy Bad Boy [Video-Song]

Meri Aawargi

Tips to make your love alive

Everybody wants to tell their partner that how much they love them. Even if you don?t tell you should do the same. Now you would want to know what you could do to keep your relationship stronger and fresh and full of life!

Here are some ideas which could be beneficial in keeping your relationship fresh throughout the twelve months. The basic idea involved is to be 'romantic?:

1.A cute greeting card: You must have felt on many occasions how important the greeting cards are. Without any special occasion, you could give you partner a card with the theme 'I love you?.

2.Leave hand-written notes for your sweetheart : If you don?t fancy giving the card directly in hand, you could write 'I Love You? on a paper, on a dry leaf (if you know bit of art), on an envelope with some tiny gift inside (Like a pen, a key chain) and hide it in his/her drawer or his/her wallet. It would be a real fun for him/her to find these notes? Try It! These will make him/her feel special.

3. Magic of touch heal : It is said that 'Human touch is a great healer?. Now, whenever you get a chance and as often you can remember touch his/her knee, shoulder, hand or back with you hand.

4. A beautiful Massage for your sweetheart : You could give foot rubs (You could use some essential oils); shoulder rubs to each other which will give relaxation to his/her body.

5. Hold the face to make him/her feel extra special : You could hold his/her face in your hands; this is also a loving human touch. It might connect you back to the good old, your first days.

6. Arrange a surprise picnic : You arrange a day out to a park with her/him. This could be more loving if it is a surprise picnic. It would show that you are willing to go an extra mile to keep your relationship alive.

7. Share Some Activities to give comfort : Try out things which are not done in the normal routine likewise you could share some of his/her activities while giving a level of 'comfort? to your partner. You could help out in cooking, in hanging out the clothes, looking after the baby while she could have a nap, help cleaning his/her vehicle etc.

8.Sing a romantic song to show how much you love him/her : You could sing a song he/she loves. You don?t have to be a good singer for this. The main thing you try achieving here is to give a 'comfort Zone? to the person.

9. Cooking : If most of the time she is cooking for you, how about getting up little early and makes a nice meal/breakfast and have it together, in the bed or at the table. It could be a surprise meal.

10. Surprise : Without any occasion, you could surprise him/her by giving a beautiful flower of his/her choice.
Hopefully you will try these tips, and be happy to be successful. Make your relationship alive and loving. That is life!

Largest Digging Machine

World's Largest Digging Machine

This is the largest digging machine (or trencher or rotating shovel) in the world. It was built by Krupp and is shown here crossing a road in Germany on the way to its destination, an open air coal mine. Although at the mine the treads are unnecessary, it was cheaper to make the machine self-propelled than to try and move it with conventional hauling equipment. Some factoids: The machine is 95 meters high and 215 meters long (almost 2.5 football fields in length) Weight is 45,500 tons (that's equivalent to a bumper to bumper line of jeeps 80 miles long) It took 5 years to design and manufacture at a cost of $100 million Maximum digging speed is 10 meters per minute Can move more than 76,000 cubic meters of coal, rock, and earth per day. more images after the break...

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Transparent Laptop

More images after the break...

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Signatures & Personality

The various types of Signatures you come across & the attitude of a person are listed below:

# SINGLE UNDERLINE BELOW THE SIGN!!
These persons are very confident and are good personalities. They are a little bit selfish but believe in "Happiness of human life"

# TWO DOTS BELOW THE SIGN!!
These persons are considered to be Romantic, can easily change their fiancées as if they change their clothes. They prefer beauty in other persons & they themselves try to look beautiful. They easily attract others.

# SINGLE DOT BELOW THE SIGN!
These persons are more inclined towards classical arts, simple & are very cool. If you loose faith with them, then these persons will never look back at you. Hence its always better to be careful with these people.

# NO UNDERLINES OR DOTS BELOW THE SIGN!!
These persons enjoy their life in their own way, never pay attention to others views. These are considered to be good natured but are selfish too.

# RANDOM SIGN, NO SIMILARITY BETWEEN NAME & SIGN!!
These persons try to be very smart, hide each & every matter, never say anything in straight forward manner, never pay attention to the other person of what he is talking of.

# RANDOM SIGN, SIMILARITY BETWEEN NAME & SIGN!!
These persons are considered to be intelligent but never think. These people change their ideas & views as fast as the wind changes its direction of flow. They never think whether that particular thing is right or wrong.
You can win them just by flattering them.

# SIGN IN PRINTED LETTERS!!
These persons are very kind to us, have a good heart, selfless, are ready to sacrifice their life for the sake of their near & dear. But these seem to think a lot and may get angry very soon.

# WRITING COMPLETE NAME AS THEIR SIGN!!
These persons are very kind hearted, can adjust themselves to any environment & to the person they are talking. These persons are very firm on their views & posses a lot of will power.

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut comes from the hill town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh. She did her schooling from Shimla.Studying as a science student in Shimla, Kangana had never thought that one day she would work in a film under a reputed banner in Bollywood. But she did harbour a dream of acting, a dream that brought her to Delhi where she learnt acting while doing theatre.Then Kangana took another step and came to Mumbai to try her luck in films. Her lucky break did not come straightaway, but after a while when Kangana had already tried unsuccessfully to make an entry into the tinsel town.It happened in September 2005, when Kangana was drinking coffee with one of her friends at a café in Mumbai. Filmmaker Anurag Basu , who had already directed a successful film, Murder , was keeping an open eye for the heroine of his next movie Gangster .It was there Basu spotted Kangana and called her for the audition. Despite the fact that Kangana is not from a filmi background and has no real acting experience, Basu decided to cast her in his film. The rest, as they say, is history.

Katrina Kaif

Biography
Nickname : Kat
Height : 5' 8½" (1.74 m)
Born on July 16, 1984

Katrina Kaif is one of eight siblings, all girls, from a mother who is a Caucasian of British Nationality, and a father who was formerly from Kashmir, India, but who has since acquired British citizenship.Katrina grew up in Hawaii, but was brought up in London, UK. She started modeling accidentally when she was in Hawaii at the tender age of 14, when she was approached for a jewelery campaign. Thereafter she continued modeling in London.Continuing to model was the reason she got her break in a Bollywood movie "Boom" offered by none other than film-maker Kaizad Gustad.She was flooded with modeling assignments the minute she set her foot on Indian soil, especially with her innocent expressive face, hour-glass figure, and drop-dead gorgeous looks.Professionally she started off as a model with photographer Atul Kasbekar, and upon being accepted, she received offers from LG, Cola, Fevicol, Lakme, & Veet. It was the Lakme commercial that got her noticed. She retained Matrix as her Manager to accept work on her behalf and at the price she deserved.Moving to different culture and country was not much of a culture shock for her, as she states that no matter where you come from, the bottom line is that everyone wants to be loved, respected, and cared for.Unlike other artistes from foreign lands, Katrina did not experience any difficulties in getting a visa nor of getting it extended in India.Although linguistically challenged, Katrina puts on a bold face and states that other Bollywood artistes like Sridevi, who did not know Hindi, did get offers from Bollywood film-makers, and she is no different. She is taking Hindi and dancing lessons to fit in with the Bollywood culture. She likes to display a picture of her learning Kathak dancing where she used to dance 7 hours a day non-stop.Despite of her soft gorgeous looks, she is not easily intimidated, but admits that she is very emotional, almost an incurable romantic, wears comfortable non-revealing clothes when at home, hates to do her hair, and above all dislikes make-up. Admitting to being lonely in the beginning, but now has several nice friends who she can hang out with.Although her first movie "Boom" was panned by the critics and shunned by the audiences, two other Telegu movies "Malliswari" and "Pidugu" did get her noticed. She grossed Rs.70 lakhs for Malliswari - making her top the list of the highest paid actresses during a South Indian movie debut.Not done with South Indian movies, she has been signed in a Tamil movie "Bheema" opposite National Award Winner Vikram.She has received decent reviews for her part in "Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya", as well as a brief appearance in "Sarrkar".Katrina has now made Bombay her base, and doesn't mind singing and dancing around trees while she's at it, and is determined to make it big in Bollywood.