Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot phone

Kara DioGuardi, the new American Idol judge

After seven seasons, American Idol is getting a new judge. Fox has announced Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi will serve as Idol's new fourth judge and join Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson as a regular member of the show's eighth-season judging panel.

"We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara DioGuardi to the judges' table," Idol creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said. "She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America's most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show."

Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and singer who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful popular songs. She writes music of the light pop-rock genre. She will be a judge on the eighth season of American Idol. Kara DioGuardi's songs have been recorded by artists including Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Hilary Duff, Carrie Underwood, Avril Lavigne, Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, Faith Hill, Santana, Ashlee Simpson, Jewel, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue, and many others. DioGuardi has also had much success with major Latin music artists including RBD, Laura Pausini, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Thalía, Ricky Martin, and Carlos Santana. DioGuardi can also be heard performing backup vocals on some of these recordings.

Pop Idol, the since-canceled British reality competition American Idol was based on, featured four judges (one of whom was Cowell) during both its seasons, which aired in 2002 and 2003. Kara DioGuardi's addition as the new American Idol judge represents the completion of a similar plan for American Idol, according to the show's producers.

Farewell to the Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony (see photos here) was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and began at 8:00 pm on August 24, 2008 (the post-introductory main ceremony began at 8:08 pm). The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture.

The musical acts included:
British singer Leona Lewis and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page (with association football player David Beckham making an appearance)
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau
Hong Kong singers Kelly Chen and Joey Yung, Chinese American singer Wang Lee Hom and South Korean entertainer Rain
Han Hong
Jackie Chan

The 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony also included the handover of the games from Beijing to London. Guo Jinlong, the Mayor of Beijing handed over the Olympic flag to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and there was a performance organized by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG)

* Fireworks prelude, including a firework countdown above the National Stadium itself, at 8:00PM CST.
* Introduction of IOC members and Hu Jintao.
* Raising of the Chinese national flag, to the Chinese national anthem, March of the Volunteers.
* Mass games performance by a troupe of drummers.
* Orange sparkling fireworks.
* Performers in translucent costumes, with some riding on circular objects.
* Flag bearers enter the stadium.
* Athletes enter the stadium.
* Athletes gather in the stadium, with drumming throughout the precession.
* Presentation of the final men's marathon medals; including the national anthem of Kenya: Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu, for the gold medallist.
* Presentation of twelve athlete volunteers and twelve child volunteers and closing of the Olympic pool.
* Raising of the Greek national flag, to the Greek national anthem, Hymn to Liberty.
* Welcoming of the President of the BOCOG, Liu Qi, and the IOC President, Jacques Rogge.
* Speech by Liu Qi in Mandarin Chinese, concluding in French with "merci beaucoup".
* Speech by the IOC President, Jacques Rogge, in English, French and concluding in Mandarin, declaring the Beijing Games "truly exceptional". He closes the Games.
* Raising of the Union Flag, to the national anthem of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen".
* Lowering of the Olympic Flag and singing of the Olympic Anthem.
* Handing of the Seoul Olympic Flag by Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
* Fireworks representing the Olympic rings.
* Eight minutes of presentation of the 2012 London Olympics.
o A British Modern Cultural Performance, involving a double-decker bus, bicycles and commuters.
o Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page perform "Whole Lotta Love".
o Appearance by David Beckham, who kicked a ceremonial football into the rows of volunteers.
* Procession of performers on an airport terminal staircase, with events during the 2008 Olympics on-screen.
* Extinguishing of the Olympic Flame, following a recitation of the 16 days of Olympic competition and of the Ancient Greek competition.
* Performers on a tall pillar (called the memory tower), waving arms and symbolising the Olympic flame, eternally unextinguished. Performers group to form Chrysanthemums, with hurdle runners on top of the pillar. Performers then reclimb the pillar, which is then covered in red sheets. Roses are formed along with athletes below (with pillar as a stigma), the athlete crowds as petals. Red sheets are levitated upward and reveal the performers arranged in the form of Dancing Beijing, the 2008 Olympic logo.
* Fireworks.
* Song "Beijing Beijing, I Love Beijing" (Běijīng Běijīng, Wǒ Ài Běijīng) by Hong Kong singer Kelly Chen, Chinese-American singer Wang Lee Hom and Korean singer Rain. Erhu instrumental; acrobats leap from the tower by wire.
* Soprano group singing of Chinese folk song "The Moon is Bright Tonight".
* Opera tenor Plácido Domingo and Chinese singer Song Zuying sing "Ài de Huǒyàn (The Flame of Love)" (composed by Bian Liunian and Klaus Badelt).[3][4]
* Song "Tomorrow's World".
* Song "Hard to say Goodbye" led by Chinese stars such as Wei Wei, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Karen Mok, Joey Yung, Emil Chau and many other singers along with many others representing the 56 ethnic groups of modern China
* Song "Surpass It".
* Fireworks, Pyrotechnics & Ethnic Dancing.
* Farewells.
* Conclusion of Closing Ceremony at 9:55PM CST.

2008 Beijing Olympics Medal Tally/Medal Standings

Except for a few controversies, this year’s Summer Games is running smoothly. China has been piling up on the golds in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Medal Count/Tally since day one. And the US and the rest are having a hard time catching up.

Latest Medal Count/Tally of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

The Guitar Hero Phenomenon

The Guitar Hero series has made a significant cultural impact, becoming a "cultural phenomenon." The series' titles became very popular party games, which led to their being played in a variety of locales. Several bars in the United States & Canada are offering "Guitar Hero nights" as an alternative to karaoke; one New York City bar experienced triple the business on such nights. Many concert tours, including the Family Values Tour feature Guitar Hero booths and contests between sets. The series' popularity even spread to the sports world; Detroit Tigers' pitcher Joel Zumaya injured himself during the 2006 playoffs playing Guitar Hero. Salon.com argued that Guitar Hero is responsible for turning many people onto rock music and inspiring them to learn how to play guitar. The article also states that the games helped an 8-year old guitarist learn sensitivity to rhythm, as well as develop the dexterity and independent hand usage necessary to play the instrument. Guitar Hero now holds a place in the Guinness World Records in their Gamers Edition, tracking the highest score on a single song in Guitar Hero III; the record has been held previously by Chris Chike and currently by Daniel Johnson. However, Chris Chike has received additional notice for perfectly completing the most difficult Guitar Hero III song, Dragonforce's "Through the Fire and Flames".

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

With young Harry Potter having already gone through so much, it would be disheartening if more tragedies were to occur to The Boy Who Lived. But it is something that he just can’t seem to avoid. The J.K. Rowling book, on which the sixth Harry Potter film is based on, is considerably darker but much more interesting than the previous instalment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

After the Harry’s standoff with Lord Voldemort, Hogwarts is no longer a safe place for him. He voices his concern to Dumbledore about Voldermort’s ever-expanding grip on both the Muggle and Wizards’ world reaching even the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but Dumbledore is more concerned about getting Harry ready for the battle that is, without a doubt, pending. Luckily for Harry, he can count on his friends – Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – to stand by him no matter how dangerous the situation. The film also explores Lord Voldemort’s dark past.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their most famous roles along with Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, David Thewlis and Evanna Lynch.

Joining the cast are Jim Broadbent (as Potions Professor Horace Slughorn, who gives Harry an old Potions textbook that once belonged to the Half-Blood Prince), Helen McCrory (as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy’s mother and sister to the evil Bellatrix Lestrange) and Jessie Cave (as Lavender Brown who is interested in Ron Weasley).

Hangover Remedies

While on the look out for some reliable hangover cure or hangover remedy, I fopund the following at www.healthmad.com:

One easy way to feel less the effects of alcohol is to eat a 2 small or one medium bag of potato chips an hour or so before drinking alcohol.

An alternate method is to eat a sandwich (possibly baguette or ciabatta) made with lots of salami and butter (yes, I do realize the taste would be awful, but hey it helps; at the max you can eat one salami sandwich and one with just butter). This way the bread/potato chips will absorb some of the alcohol before it has the chance to get absorbed into your blood stream.

A good way to prevent getting wasted right away is to always drink the same thing, don't mix alcohols, and if you order/make cocktails make sure to at least drink the same kind. Different alcohols consumed in the same time lapse will cause weariness quicker, splitting headaches and cause major hangovers, and, if you are a woman taking oral contraceptives, and you took your pill 4 hours earlier you are no longer protected (if you regurgitate that is, so be careful with that too).

Another remedy, used primarily by Native Americans was to eat raw almonds before drinking any alcoholic beverage to reduce the chance of suffering from any hangover.

Peanut Butter is also thought to be of somewhat remedy.

Remember to try to have a sports drink (like Gatorade) which will replenish the minerals that the kidneys excreted during your drinking. If you regurgitate due to excessive drinking, let it all out of your system and then have a sports drink to give you back some minerals.

If you had a long night of drinking, water (about 3 glass fulls should be enough) will help rehydrate you. Drinking makes you lose a lot of fluids, going to bed dehydrated will just leave the alcohol in your system at it's concentrated levels and will cause you to feel their effects later on.

Remember to not take painkillers such as aspirin, ibrofen and the like. If taken in high quantities or on a continuous basis they'll start to cause problems to your kidneys (such as kidney failure).