26 Jul 2014

Best Cruises Based on 'Game of Thrones' and Other Great TV Shows

Why binge watch your favorite shows when you can sail the high seas with them? Cruise lines, which for years have offered trips featuring big-time musical acts, are now offering cruises featuring popular TV shows come to life (Note: some of the excursions and programs will cost extra). Here are some of our favorites:

"Game of Thrones"

Holland America takes you to Ned Stark’s home (Photo: AP)

Two cruise lines have eagerly jumped onto the “Game of Thrones” craze, using their stops in Northern Ireland as a “GoT” mecca. Two Holland America ships (Prinsendam and Rotterdam) and one from Crystal Cruises (Serenity) offer visits to two locales that fans of the show may recognize.

Well Halo there, soldier!

A first look at the new live action webseries Halo: Nightfall appeared yesterday (July 25), offering a first look at the show's main character, Spartan Agent Locke. The clip teases how the show will tie into the Halo video game franchise's fictional universe, particularly next year's Xbox One game Halo 5: Guardians.

The main character of Halo Nightfall is Spartan Agent Jameson Locke, played by actor Mike Colter, according to Variety magazine. Aside from his leading role in Halo: Nightfall, Locke will also appear as a supporting character in Halo 5: Guardians.

Comic-Con 2014 kicked off its first full day Thursday with hordes of costumed fans, a blast of summer heat and a zip line behind the San Diego Convention Center.

Not even Jack Bauer was prepared for this.

The hero of FOX television’s “24” was the star of the first big panel, with actor Kiefer Sutherland talking about the successful relaunch of the series, which had its big, cliffhanger ending just a couple few weeks ago.

Grab a blanket, your loved ones and get ready to snuggle up under the stars – New Westminster’s summer movie series is back.

Hosted by New Westminster Parks and Recreation, G&F Financial and Park Georgie Realty realtor Derrick Thornhill, the annual free outdoor movie series kicked off on July 11 with the super popular Frozen.

The series of outdoor films is a project brought to fruition by Sandon Fraser, youth services coordinator for the City of New Westminster, who felt the city needed to offer more free family-friendly events.

The curtain is starting to rise on Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice"....if you're one of the lucky people who have been invited to see it early. The filmmaker's latest has quietly been screening for industry types since the spring, but more recently, select film writers and bloggers have had a chance to see it too (nope, we didn't). And with these viewings an increasing amount of chatter is bubbling up about what kind of tone the Thomas Pynchon adaptation is taking on the big screen, and if the early buzz is anything to go by, this one is a bit out there.

Many happy returns to Sandra Bullock, who celebrates her 50th birthday today!

The one-time action movie sidekick and Hollywood's favourite funny girl, Bullock has gradually refashioned herself as a bona fide A-lister thanks to her Oscar-winning turn in The Blind Side and last year's box office smash Gravity.

With such an eclectic back catalogue it's hard to single out any one movie. With that in mind, Digital Spy opened up the floor to staff to pose one simple question: What's your favourite Sandra Bullock movie? Here are the results...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — After much anticipation “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is making its debut Friday night as part of the Movies in the Park series in downtown Grand Rapids.

The public voted last year to see the film at Movies in the Park, but poor weather conditions forced organizers to cancel the show.

“This year provided an opportunity to still show the film and allow fans an opportunity to see it on the big screen. There was so much enthusiasm for this film last year, and we wanted to continue that excitement,” said Kristopher Larson, President and CEO of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.

‘Alive Inside’ (No rating, 1:18) Michael Rossato-Bennett’s purposeful documentary describes one man’s efforts to bring iPods to nursing homes, and advocates against the dehumanizing aspects of elder care. Seeing oldsters perk up and boogie can be a tonic, but Mr. Rossato-Bennett’s single-minded stumping for the cause makes for a less than interesting film. (Nicolas Rapold)

‘Begin Again’ (R, 1:44) John Carney tries to recreate the magic of “Once,” this time in New York and with Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley as two music-makers who stumble into a professional collaboration and an almost-romance. The film’s easy charm makes it hard to dislike, and the scruffiness of its style almost disguises the fundamental banality of both the story and the music. (A.O. Scott)

Detectives were looking Friday for a man who fatally punched a good Samaritan who tried to fend off an attack on a child at a Hollywood fast-food restaurant.

Gabriel Ortega, 57, of Hollywood, was inside the restaurant in the 1400 block of Vine Street on June 18 when he saw another man screaming at a child, police said.

Ortega shielded the child from what appeared to be an "imminent" attack and told the man to leave the child alone. The man punched Ortega in the face and fled the restaurant, said Los Angeles Police Department West Bureau homicide Det. Steven Katz.

The stars have aligned for actor Joel Edgerton, as Hollywood roles and writing credits stack up. Just don't ask him to wear his pants outside his tights.

Joel Edgerton and Ben Mendelsohn are wearing eyeliner and standing on a mountain together somewhere in the Canary Islands. Edgerton's biceps bulge, he's wearing some sort of turban thing on his head, harem pants and fat gold wrist cuffs. There are signs he's had a spray-tan.

This is what Mendelsohn has to say about the moment: "There we are in full Egyptian regalia with a hundred horses, climbing down a hill, chariots, this, that and the other." This is what Edgerton has to say: "Ben looked at me with his cheeky little look and goes, 'Who would have thunk it, Joliet? Who would have thunk it, you and me?' "

The shady Southern pine trees on the outskirts of Shreveport, La., serve as a year-round "New England" set for the television series Salem, one of many shows and movies being filmed in the state.

With a temperate climate and generous tax incentives, Louisiana has been luring the California-based film industry south, creating thousands of new jobs and businesses in the process.

"We have been on a steady upward trajectory since Louisiana adopted its incentive program in 2002," said Chris Stelly, executive director of Louisiana Entertainment, a government organization tasked with developing the state's entertainment industry. "2013 was our biggest year."

Move over, Super Mario, a new videogame hero has arrived — and she’d never be caught dead in those tacky overalls.

Her name is Kim Kardashian, and, instead of collecting those digital gold coins that Mario and Luigi were so fond of, she’s all about cold, hard U.S. currency. And investors are taking notice.

Kim is the star of “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” a free-download app game for the iPhone and iPad. But keeping up with a Kardashian requires real money, even in a digital setting. To progress quickly through the game’s levels, you need to make in-app purchases.

A 23-year-old man allegedly tried to run over an on-duty Hollywood police officer in Miami Gardens moments before the officer fired his weapon, authorities said.

The shooting happened Thursday morning and led to the arrest hours later of Varnelson Ceus, of Miami Gardens. He is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and leaving the scene of a crash with injury.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson poses for photos with his leading lady Irina Shayk while attending the premiere of their new movie Hercules on Wednesday (July 23) at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

The stars were joined by castmates Rufus Sewell and model Barbara Palvin, who like Irina is making her acting debut in the film.

Nearly two decades since he published ‘Explaining Hitler,’ Ron Rosenbaum talks about why he reopened his look at the Fuhrer with a new edition of his classic study.

It’s been nearly 20 years since Ron Rosenbaum’s Explaining Hitler made a splash with its examination of historians and conspiracy theories surrounding one of history’s most infamous villains.

This summer, Rosenbaum is out with an updated edition that includes a fresh take on the many controversies that have cropped up in the interim. From the debate over why Hitler lost the war to the Internet parodies of Downfall, Rosenbaum has wielded his discerning pen and dissected as much Hitler as one can stomach.

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are back in the race to sign Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria, 26, after his proposed move to Paris St-Germain hit a snag over the £45m fee. Sun (subscription only)
Southampton want to keep France midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, 24, and will tell Tottenham and Arsenal they need to pay in excess of £27m if they want to sign him. Guardian
New Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has also rejected a £3.25m bid for defender Jose Fonte, 30, from Championship side Cardiff City. Daily Mirror
Barcelona are considering a move for Arsenal central defender Thomas Vermaelen, 28, who is also a target for Manchester United. Sun (subscription only)
Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli, 23, for just £7.9m plus Costa Rica winger Joel Campbell. Metro
QPR are in final negotiations to sign Marseille's France World Cup midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, 29, although Dynamo Moscow are also interested. Daily Mirror
Everton hope to complete the £18m signing of Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 21, after 36-year-old Didier Drogba's return to Stamford Bridge. Daily Express
The Toffees are also exploring the possibility of re-signing Monaco forward Lacina Traore, 23, on loan. Times (subscription only)
Roma boss Rudi Garcia says midfielder Kevin Strootman, 24, will not be leaving for Manchester United this summer. Sky Sports
Liverpool have made a £14.2m bid for Bayern Munich's Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri, 22. Daily Star
West Ham have held talks with Besiktas striker Hugo Almeida, 30, after Andy Carroll was ruled out for four months. Times (subscription only)
Atletico Madrid want 23-year-old Real Sociedad forward Antoine Griezmann, who is also a target for Tottenham. Daily Express

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 28, wants to be the club's next captain - and believes he could be lifting the title next season. Manchester Evening News
Midfielder Tom Cleverley, 24, is confident he can rediscover his best form under Louis van Gaal after a disappointing time during David Moyes's tenure. ESPN
World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm, 30, reveals he made his decision to quit international football months ago and the defender's decision had nothing to do with Germany's success in Brazil. Goal.com
New signing Joleon Lescott has rubbishesd reports claiming he is frustrated with lack of further additions to the West Brown squad, with the 31-year-old defender insisting he is happy at The Hawthorns. Birmingham Mail
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan says the club regret "putting all our eggs in one basket" by signing £15m striker Andy Carroll, 25. Daily Telegraph
Wojciech Szczesny, 24, will remain Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper despite the arrival of Columbia's 25-year-old David Ospina in a £3m deal from Nice. Daily Express

BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Striker Fraizer Campbell, 26, has a Twitter message for the owners of Cardiff City as he confirms his transfer to Crystal Palace - urging the Welsh club to revert back to a blue kit.
Defenders Steven Caulker, 22, and Rio Ferdinand, 35, are among the QPR signings filmed singing initiation songs on the club's pre-season tour in Germany.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, 24, urges customers on Twitter to "come through for your chicken teriyaki with extra green peppers...it's free!!" as he helps out at a fast food restaurant in Boston as part of a sponsorship deal.
Half a clock, a chocolate teapot and Harry Redknapp's car window on transfer deadline day are voted more useful than Andy Carroll on @footballtips after the West Ham striker's latest injury lay-off.

AND FINALLY

Nottingham Forest are poised to announce a sponsorship deal with the Kuwaiti government which will see their home ground become the Kuwait City Ground stadium. Daily Mail

Liverpool FC transfer gossip: Vidal deal deadline, Shaqiri offer on table, Assaidi transfer close to collapse

Liverpool have been handed a deadline by Juventus if they are to move for Arturo Vidal, according to reports in Italy.

The Old Lady have told prospective suitors they will only entertain offers up until August 2.

Vidal has been linked with a move to Manchester Utd all summer, with the Reds also reportedly showing interest.

This comes following the Chilean international repeatedly stating he is unsure where his future lies.

Liverpool FC could be in for £35.6m Benfica winger Nicolas Gaitan, according to the Metro .

The Argentinian winger has a release clause in his contract with the Portugese champions and has impressed while helping Benfica reach successive Europa League finals and also win the Primeira League last season.

Meanwhile Brendan Rodgers is reported to have made a £14.2m bid for Bayern Munich playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri, claims Swiss paper Blick .

Roberto Martinez has stated that he’s looking to add three or four new faces to his squad and one of those is AIK winger Nabil Bahoui, according to the Daily Mail.

Having impressed for the Swedish club since signing from IF Brommapojkarna in 2013, Bahoui has reportedly drawn interest from the likes of Sunderland, Southampton and Crystal Palace, but Everton are hopeful of winning the race to his signature.

A round-up of the latest EFC transfer gossipEverton are stepping up their interest in AIK's highly-rated Sweden winger Nabil Bahoui, say Sky Sports.

The talented wide-man has started the new Allsvenskan season well with six goals in 13 appearances, including a stunning strike against Kalmar FF earlier this month, and the Stockholm club are bracing themselves for offers.

The likes of Southampton, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have been credited with an interest in Bahoui, but Everton are hoping to win the race for the 23-year-old's signature.

QPR to bring Valbuena to England (yay), Schneiderlin to cost £27m if he leaves and Everton to seal £18m Lukaku deal

SCHNEIDERLIN TO COST £27MILLION

Whilst many Southampton fans may be concerned at the number of players leaving St. Mary's, there is little doubt that the club are squeezing out every last penny from interested buyers. The next through the revolving door may well be Morgan Schneiderlin, but again Southampton are very much digging their heels in.

Children's entertainment is in a mess. This is in no small part due to recent revelations about just what was happening when the stars of earlier generations were producing content.

The high-profile cases of Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile have troubled the childhood memories of a generation brought up with Jim'll Fix It and Rolf's Cartoon Club. Great swathes of content has been disrupted in our collective memory catalogue. But aside from the obvious horror of the crimes committed by these two entertainers, the fallout will prompt us to rethink children's entertainment in the future.

Here are today’s entertainment picks:

v Tributes: Elevation (U2 tribute band) and Jersey (Bruce Springsteen tribute) perform from 5 to 11 p.m. at Warren Community Amphitheatre, 321 Mahoning Ave., Warren.

v Western Pennsylvania Balloon Quest: It’s up, up and away as some 25 hot-air balloons participate in the fundraiser for the Union Township Volunteer Fire Department at Scotland Meadows Park, 2106 Camden Ave., New Castle, Pa. The event continues Sunday.

This week one trailer was too hot for TV, it’s Christmas for nerds, and Twitter mourns the marriage of a celebrity.

1. Too Hot For TV! The ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Trailer Is Out

Pinnacle entertainment fell short of analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates in the second quarter of FY14 due to weak demand and costs related to integration of mychoice program

Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. (PNK) stock fell 6.28% yesterday after the company announced second-quarter results for its fiscal ‘14 (2QFY14), which missed analysts’ revenue and earnings estimates. Pinnacle reported per-share earnings (EPS) of $0.37, missing estimates by 19.21%. Sales were $555 million, which missed the consensus estimate by 0.35%.

Flow has come on board for the second staging of the Wonderland Family Fun Day, and patrons can expect an epic day filled with fun and entertainment for the entire family. The event scheduled for tomorrow, on the grounds of Jamaica College, will feature family games, wet and dry rides for children, live performances and great Flow giveaways.

As a part of their sponsorship, Flow will be inviting customers and patrons to visit the Flow Chill Zone, an elevated entertainment space for families to "lyme and chill" and enjoy some of the exciting services being offered. Powered by Flow, patrons at Wonderland will be able to enjoy complimentary high-speed wireless Internet, so they can stay connected and share the fun on their mobile devices throughout the day.

Alludu Seenu

Cast: Sreenivas, Samantha, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam and others

Director: V.V. Vinayak

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Alludu Seenu, the debut movie of Sreenivas, producer Bellamkonda Suresh’s son, enjoyed a lot of pre-release hype because the producer had roped in top technicians for this film. The film has been directed by V.V. Vinayak and has Samantha as the female lead.

Alludu Seenu (Sreenivas) and his uncle Narasimha (Prakash Raj) live in a village and they have a lot of debts. To escape from their debts, both decide to leave for Chennai, but land in Hyderabad after boarding a wrong train.

Mumbai: "Khoobsurat" actors Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan will lend glamour to the finale episode of reality show "Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega" as part of the promotions of their forthcoming movie.

A source told IANS that the duo will shoot for the Sony Entertainment Television show on Sunday. The finale episode will be telecast on 7 August.

After much ado, celebrated comedian Sunil Grover finally makes a comeback on Comedy Nights with Kapil!

The show that shot him to stardom owing to the humungous acceptance of his on-screen character - Gutthi, will now see him as Manju's (Sumona Chakravarty) father and Bitto Sharma's father-in-law. Sunil was visibly excited to join hands with the cast and crew of Comedy Nights With Kapil once again and get down to tickle the funny bone of the people.

These are high times for daft ditties. Yesterday, after almost four decades of releasing pop parodies, “Weird Al” Yankovic scored his first No 1 album, beating globally recognised music acts like Jason Mraz and Ed Sheeran.

Mandatory Fun rocketed to the top of the American charts thanks to a week of viral silliness, in which the comedian posted eight new songs online in eight days, then sat back and watched as the shares for “Word Crimes” - Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” retooled as an attack on poor grammar - and “Tacky” - a daft cover of Pharrell’s “Happy” which makes fun of Crocs and Instagram among other naff modern evils – rolled in.

Open thread: we'd like to hear about your best-loved comic albums, whether they're stand-up, sketch comedy or something completely different

2014 looks to be a good year for comedy albums. Weird Al Yankovic has just scored his first Billboard number one with Mandatory Fun, his 14th collection of musical parodies, in which he takes on the likes of Robin Thicke, Lorde, Iggy Azalea and Pharrell Williams.

It must be happy hour somewhere.

Comedy Central announced Friday that it has given third season orders to both “Drunk History” and “Nathan For You.”

The news was announced by Kent Alterman, Comedy Central’s president of content development and original programming, who also was on hand at Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival to present “Nathan For You’s” Nathan Fielder with the Breakout Comedy Star of the Year Award.

Tulsa-based comedian Rodney Carrington is at it again, making people laugh in his brand new one-hour comedy special, “Laughter’s Good,” premiering at 8 tonight on CMT.

In the hilarious new one-man show, the award-winning comedian takes a fresh look at everyday life through his hysterical, down-to-earth style that has won over millions of fans worldwide. Nothing’s off limits this time around as Carrington shares his thoughts on everything from Las Vegas to church attendance in the standup special.

A comedy club has apologised after maggots from a dead pigeon fell out of the air conditioning unit and on to members of the audience during a show.

People took to Tripadviser to voice their complaints after the incident during the Jongleurs Comedy Club night being held at Oceana in Nottingham last Friday.

The dead bird was found in the air conditioning unit.

The Unforgettable Comedy Challenge, an annual stand-up comedy contest featuring local and regional comedians, will name a winner during its final round on Wednesday, August 6.

This third annual comedy challenge takes place in Destiny USA's Funny Bone Comedy Club this year. In previous years, it was hosted at Wise Guys Comedy Club.

For 37 years, Diane Dufour has been listening to same jokes from her husband Leo, but she laughs at every one of them.

She is Leo’s biggest fan, and often his biggest critic.

Leo Dufour’s Komedy Korner got going the same year the Dufours got married, so you could say their marriage has been a joke. Or, more accurately, it’s a match made in comedy heaven.

“He’s the funny, I’m the business,” Diane said, referring to the fact she handles the family and business financial affairs.

Madhuri Dixit is the latest celebrity to lend her support for Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods International for its ongoing land issue. The institute is getting strong support from many industry wallahs. Here’s what they are saying about the institute:

Madhuri Dixit: request the authorities to preserve @Whistling_Woods ,an institute which has contributed so much to art and cinema.

Vidya Balan: In a country where there are millions of aspirants but few institutions of learning of cinema and media students, we should support such organized efforts. Give the credibility Whistling Woods has built in these few years of its existence, I urge the government to support its survival with dignity as it has achieved.

The latest: Ashton Kutcher gets caught not actually using the Muse Headband, a device he invested in.

Celebrity endorsement of new technology is nothing new, but neither is something going wrong with that endorsement.

The latest blunder comes courtesy of Ashton Kutcher, a celebrity investor in Interaxon, the Toronto-based company promoting its buzzy Muse Headband, a device that can sense brainwaves and is intended to help people train their minds to be calmer.

It’s a (meal) ticket to paradise!

While spending time in Switzerland, Gwen Stefani gave her Instagram followers a gorgeous glimpse into her life when she stopped to nurse her youngest son — 5-month-old Apollo Bowie Flynn — in front of a breathtaking backdrop.

Looking casual in a white tee and skinny jeans, the new Voice judge is surrounded by the country’s famous mountains as she breastfeeds her baby boy.

And although Stefani, 44, smiles for the candid snapshot, she keeps her son covered in aden + anais Radiant Red Classic Swaddle ($22).

Justin Theroux has opened up about his celebrity crush. -

The Leftovers actor has been engaged to former Friends star Jennifer Aniston since August 2012. But before meeting his future wife, the 42-year-old fancied another famous blonde, singer Debbie Harry.

“I remember my uncle had a cassette of hers and I was like, 'Who is that?' I hadn't even heard her music but I thought, 'This person is really special,'" Justin recalled during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday.

Former X Factor judge fined for assault on Savvas Morgan at V Festival in Essex days after collapse of drug trial

Former X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos, above, has been convicted of assaulting a celebrity blogger at a music festival. The N-Dubz star said afterwards she would appeal against the conviction. Contostavlos hit Savvas Morgan during an altercation at the V Festival in Essex. She was found guilty by a judge at Stratford magistrates court in east London on Friday . Her assistant, Gareth Varey, was cleared of using threatening behaviour during the incident in August last year.Contostavlos was ordered to pay a total of £3,020, consisting of a £2,700 contribution towards the cost of the prosecution, a £200 fine, £100 compensation to Morgan and a £20 victim surcharge. Earlier this week, a drug trial against Contostavlos at Southwark crown court collapsed after the judge said there were "strong grounds" to believe that the Sun's investigative reporter Mazher Mahmood – known as the "fake sheikh" – had lied in the witness box.

It's no secret that many women desire to look like celebrities. From magazine covers to movie screens to commercials, it is hard not to notice a notable Hollywood star looking glamorous at least once a day - and that is probably why women who seek plastic surgery often ask for procedures to make them look more like their favorite celebs.

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