Alison Casson
Monday, March 30, 2009
Why Brands Love Mommy Bloggers
Big companies find word-of-mouth value in currying favor with digital-savvy mothers.
Gretchen Vogelzang and Paige Heninger are much like other suburban mothers, with seven children between them and busy schedules. The difference is they also have a high-powered Hollywood agent, ad campaigns with some of the world's top brands and distribution through Google's vast network.
Welcome to the world of mommy blogging, where women juggle the demands of childcare with building audiences online. It's also, increasingly, a place where top brands battle for their attention, hoping for reviews from "real moms" and access to the valuable power of word of mouth. Being a player in the mommy blogger world can mean access to free products, getting big media buys and even trips to the red carpet in Hollywood and Caribbean cruises.
Vogelzang and Heninger are among the mommy blogging elite. Their sponsors include Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and, most recently, State Farm. The insurance giant has contracted with the women to create 10 episodes of their video series, MommyCast (available on iTunes, MommyCast.com and YouTube), around themes like home buying, the need for mothers to get life insurance and making a house safe for babies. The videos will appear as well on a State Farm-branded YouTube channel and, through a distribution deal with Google, will potentially reach tens of millions of Web users through parenting and mom sites in the AdSense network.
Ed Gold, director of digital strategy for State Farm, said Vogelzang and Heninger have an authenticity that wouldn't be there in "authority-driven" media content.
There's plenty of research to back up the potential power of mommy bloggers. Mothers are estimated to be responsible for $2.1 trillion of U.S. consumer spending, controlling about 80 percent of household expenditures, according to BSM Media. They're also active online: 87 percent use the Web regularly, per comScore. What's more, 60 percent of their online conversations -- the type of discussions also heard at playgrounds everywhere -- include a mention of brands or products, according to a study done last year by BabyCenter and Keller Fay Group.
"When you're up in middle of the night nursing, the best way to get advice is to go online," said Sarah Hofstetter, vp of emerging media and client strategy at digital shop 360i, who has run influencer campaigns targeting mommy bloggers. "You're going to identify with that person. If that person says, 'Get XYZ stroller,' you're going to do that."
Brands, particularly consumer packaged-goods companies, have taken note. P&G and Walmart have mommy-blogger outreach programs. J&J has a wide-ranging mommy-blogger strategy that includes sending out product samples and bringing select bloggers to its headquarters. Its new YouTube contest, "Big Bubblin' Stars!," which solicits bath time videos, is hosted by mommy blogger Christine Young, a homeschooling mother of six.
"We thought it was important to have a real voice," said Lori Dolginoff, director of communications at J&J.
Not all mommy bloggers get such high-profile gigs. The most common tactic for brands is sending out product samples in the hopes of a review. It's gotten so popular that the avalanche of offers has led some mom bloggers to create separate sites or sections dedicated to reviews. The benefits of brand attention can go up from there. Frito-Lay, looking for online buzz for its new line of snacks, last month flew mommy bloggers out to Los Angeles to meet Brooke Burke and preview its "Only in a woman's world" ad campaign. Disney in January took a group of mom bloggers on a trip to the Bahamas to showcase its cruise line.
Participants in both instances blogged about their trips and the brands.
"Nurturing relationships is one of the core values of a mom," said Maria Bailey, author of Mom 3.0 and CEO of BSM Media, which advises Disney and other brands on reaching moms online. "It's an inherent need of a mother to share information."
For mommy bloggers, just like for any independent content creator hooking up with brands, the question may come down to how much is too much. The Web is already debating the value of sponsored posts by top bloggers, with Google suggesting sites could be penalized in its search results because such posts are thinly disguised ads. Also, the Federal Trade Commission has suggested such integrations could be misleading. Vogelzang said MommyCast, in the past, had to push back on brands that wanted to script them.
"This is not just an infomercial for their products," she explained of their upcoming work with State Farm. "It needs to be a topic that, while it promotes the State Farm issues, is relevant to our audience."
If the direct ROI on mommy blogger word-of-mouth programs is not entirely clear, there is the risk of ending up on the wrong side of the buzz. The classic case: "Motrin Moms." The pain reliever's commercial depicting carrying babies as a fashion choice ignited an online storm last November among mommy bloggers on Twitter. The furor built over a single weekend to the point where Motrin pulled the ad and apologized. The lesson: mommy bloggers can scuttle your brand's best-laid plans.
The power some have accrued can be surprising. Three years ago, Hollywood talent agency Endeavor signed Vogelzang and Heninger, helping the duo move MommyCast from a popular audio podcast into video. They subsequently struck a deal with Media Rights Capital, the firm that brokered the Burger King-Seth MacFarlane deal that drew 37 million video views in a similar distribution deal with Google.
The MommyCast-State Farm videos should reach similar numbers, according to Alexandra Levy, director of branded entertainment at Google, thanks to MommyCast episodes already drawing 250,000 views and the reach of Google's network. "They have a huge install base of mommies," she said.
By Brian Morrissey
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Kelly Clarkson adds dates to summer outing
With her latest studio album still holding onto the top spot on the charts, Kelly Clarkson [ tickets ] has revealed a fresh batch of dates for her impending summer tour.
The trek, which slants toward fairground appearances, gets underway June 11 in Orem, UT. The new dates fall mainly in July and August, with highlights including a July 9 show in Calgary, Alberta and an Aug. 27 appearance at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, NY. Tickets for all dates are currently on sale.
On the road, the first "American Idol" winner will be supporting her fourth studio album, the chart-topping "All I Ever Wanted," which hit stores March 10.
Clarkson employed a host of producers on the set, including alt-rock ace Howard Benson (P.O.D., Hoobastank) and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. The album sold briskly during its first week in circulation, moving 90,000 copies to keep it well ahead of its main competition, U2's "No Line on the Horizon."
The first single from the new disc is "My Life Would Suck Without You," which was released in mid-January and went on to top the Billboard Hot 100.
June 2009
11 - Orem, UT - Brent Brown Ball Park
July 2009
5 - San Diego, CA - Del Mar Fair
9 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
24 - Paso Robles, CA - California Mid-State Fair
26 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor Amphitheater
29 - Columbus, OH - Celeste Center
August 2009
1 - Harrington, DE - Delaware State Fair
14 - Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fair Grandstand
20 - Louisville, KY - Freedom Hall
22 - Des Moines, IA - Iowa State Fair
27 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fair
September 2009
3 - Allentown, PA - Allentown Fairgrounds
4 - Essex Junction, VT - Champlain Valley Exposition
11 - York, PA - York Fairgrounds
12 - Allegan, MI - Allegan Fairgrounds
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Angie Harmon: I'm not racist
Angie Harmon is not afraid to come out and say she doesn’t like how President Obama is handling the job — but she’s sick of having to defend herself from being deemed a racist.
"Here's my problem with this, I'm just going to come out and say it. If I have anything to say against Obama it's not because I'm a racist, it's because I don't like what he's doing as President and anybody should be able to feel that way, but what I find now is that if you say anything against him you're called a racist," Harmon told Tarts at Thursday’s Los Angeles launch of the new eyelash-growing formula, Latisse. "But it has nothing to do with it, I don’t care what color he is. I’m just not crazy about what he's doing and I heard all about this, and he’s gonna do that and change and change, so okay … I'm still dressing for a recession over here buddy and we've got unemployment at an all-time high and that was his number one thing and that's the thing I really don't appreciate. If I'm going to disagree with my President, that doesn't make me a racist. If I was to disagree with W, that doesn't make me racist. It has nothing to do with it, it is ridiculous."
Speaking of dislikes, the starlet has also had enough of the double-standards in the media.
"I do think McCain would have done a better job, only because I think he has more experience. I also think if W or John McCain or Reagan would have gone and done a talk show, the backlash would have been so huge and in his face, and ‘What is our president doing? How unclassy!’ But Obama does it and no one says anything," Harmon said.
And in spite of the scornful opinions most of her Tinseltown counterparts have shared on Gov. Sarah Palin, Harmon remains a true fan.
"I admire any kind of woman like her. My whole motto is to know what I stand for and know what I don't stand for and have the courage to live my life accordingly and she does exactly that. The fact that this woman has made the decisions she's made and literally lived her life according to that and takes heat for it is absolutely disgusting to me," she added. "People cannot look at this woman. I really think they're afraid of her and her morals, ethics and values and the fact that she hangs on them. Is she the most experienced person in the world? But she was running to be the Vice President, so we then put the most inexperienced person as the President. That didn't make any sense to me."
However Harmon is definitely in the Hollywood minority when it comes to her criticism of Obama as other lasses at the Latisse party were quick to advocate their unequivocal support.
"The sort of criticism over the last couple of weeks is a bit unfounded, he's been in office for barely any time and I think he inherited a lot on his plate and he's doing a pretty remarkable job," quipped Mandy Moore. "I think it's cool that he went on Leno and I watched the "60 minutes" interview as well last week. The guy is just so articulate and he is so well versed in something that is so new to him and I think he has a good team around him. It sounds cliché, but he makes me feel proud to be an American."
Debra Messing also told Tarts that our new President is not only meeting her expectations, but going far beyond.
"He is thoughtful and considerate and he gets all the information before he speaks which I think is a wonderful quality for the ruler of the free world to have," she explained.
The ladies of "Entourage" certainly showed their Obama-loyalty too.
"It's not an over night process. It's going to get worse before it gets better; we're all kind of in the same boat now. Everybody's broke and everybody's struggling and he makes me feel like I know him and that I know Michelle and that they’re like us and they’re out to try to save the USA. It's just an amazing period to watch him take on these challenges and everyday in the news to hear about AIG or possibly global currency changing, it's incredible. He's facing big challenges and he's got a lot of support and I'm just praying things get better," Debi Mazar said, while co-star Perrey Reeves added that Obama is a "wonderful leader" and she’s looking forward to his future endeavors.
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Two new commercials for Guitar Hero: Metallica
Michael Bay directed version:
Rick Pitino, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Bob Knight included.
Old Fogies version:
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Princess Diana named 'gay icon'
It’s official. The late great Princess Diana has been declared a ‘Gay Icon’.
A panel of esteemed British influential persons, including Sir Elton John, Jackie Kay, Billie Jean King and Sir Ian McKellen selected nominees for inclusion in The National Portrait Gallery’s Gay Icons show this summer. The late Princess Diana, Harvey Milk, k.d. Lang, Nelson Mandela and Ellen DeGeneres will all be represented in the photographic portrait exhibit.
The gallery is holding back the full list of honorees until closer to the opening, but it includes
, “the artists Francis Bacon and David Hockney, the civil rights campaigner Harvey Milk, the writers Quentin Crisp, Joe Orton, Dame Daphne Du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith and Walt Whitman, and from the music world Tchaikovsky, k.d. lang, Rostropovich, Will Young and the Village People, the entertainers Ellen DeGeneres, Kenneth Williams and Lily Savage, and Mandela and Diana, Princess of Wales. Their stories will be illustrated by 60 photographic portraits including works by Andy Warhol, Linda McCartney, Lord Snowdon, Polly Borland, Fergus Greer, Terry O'Neill and Cecil Beaton.”
The exhibit will be an exercise in great diversity. As an organizer notes, “there's no such thing as a gay community any more than there's a straight community. Gay people are as disparate as any other group.” Therefore, the portraits range from straight people, to gay, and many “people who might be surprised to find themselves on a list of gay icons”.
The National Portrait Gallery revealed some expected names that will not be making the list. Noticeably absent from this collection are, "Joan Crawford, Mae West, Kylie Minogue, Dame Shirley Bassey, Oscar Wilde, Bette Midler, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Collins, Bette Davis, and Barbra Streisand. No Liberace or David Beckham."
The exhibition is set to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Gloria Allred trash talks Octo-pussy on Ryan Seacrest
Nadya Suleman doesn't just have a house full of babies screaming. Gloria Allred is yelling at her, too.
The outspoken attorney angrily took her campaign against the octuplets' mom to the radio airwaves in Los Angeles on Thursday, saying authorities need to take Suleman's children away from her. "I definitely think the babies should be placed in foster care, so they can have the consistent care that they need to have, that they are not getting from their mother," Allred told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM show.
Still fuming over Suleman's decision Monday to discontinue using the non-profit nursing group Angels In Waiting to care for her newborns, Allred says that Nadya is more interested in shopping than she is about her babies. "Of the 102 hours Angels In Waiting were in her home, Nadya only spent about eight hours in the nursery," Allred claimed.
Suleman, 33, now has four of her octuplets at her recently purchased home, along with her six other children. The other four octuplets, born prematurely in January, are still recovering at Kaiser Permanente's hospital in Bellflower, Calif.
When asked by Seacrest how Suleman spends her time when she's not at home, Allred charged, "Much of the time she's out shopping and when she returns she rarely stops in the nursery to see the babies or ask about how they are doing."
Toward the end of Allred's interview, Seacrest announced that someone had just phoned the KIIS-FM hotline to report that they'd allegedly seen Suleman shopping for five pairs of shoes. "She should be with her children and going to the hospital visiting the other four babies," Allred exclaimed. "Not going shopping."
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Tell us something we don't already know, Courtney
A fashion designer claims Courtney Love "has embarked in what is nothing short of an obsessive and delusional crusade to terrorize and destroy" her.
Dawn Simorangkir claims Love tried to ruin her business and smear her good name, calling her an "asswipe nasty lying hosebag thief," among other things.
Simorangkir claims Love plotted to destroy her, claiming she spread lies that the designer sold cocaine, was a drug addict, was a prostitute, a thief, and a "horrible lying bitch."
The always lovable Courtney spread it on the designer's webpage.
Simorangkir is suing in L.A. County Superior Court for invasion of privacy and emotional distress.
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Metallica Pound SXSW With 90-Minute Greatest-Hits Set at “Surprise” Show
“Surprise, surprise — you’re all surprised, right?” singer-guitarist James Hetfield cracked in his sea-captain’s growl, leering at the heaving crowd two songs into Metallica’s poorly kept-secret SXSW show, March 20th at Stubb’s. “Thank you for letting us come to your party.” Then his voice changed. “We are an unsigned band from Norway,” he said in a terrible Scandanavian accent and Andy Kaufman-like chirp. “Maybe we get signed.” Any unsigned Norwegian band that could write and play anything as smart and brutal as Metallica’s next song, “Harvester of Sorrow,” would have been signed before it left the building.
So you ask: Why Metallica at SXSW? The answer: Why the hell not?
SXSW stopped being only about alternative rock and regional baby bands when superstars started giving the keynote speeches and the acts playing corporate-sponsor day parties outnumbered the evening showcases. Metallica were at SXSW to sell their imminent edition of the interactive video game Guitar Hero. But they ended up proving something else: You don’t get anywhere in this world, with a guitar, in a band, until you get off the couch.
The promotion was in full effect — Metallica played in front of a giant Guitar Hero banner, and one of the opening acts was a trio of local Guitar Hero contest winners, who “played” a version of “Fuel” on Guitar Hero “instruments.” But the real deal came to perform, opening with “Creeping Death” and, except for two Death Magnetic numbers, giving the audience 90 minutes of greatest hits, including “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “One,” “Sad But True” and a scorched-earth tear through “Master of Puppets.” There was, surprisingly, no “Enter Sandman.” Instead, Metallica ended the set with a rare “Blackened” from … And Justice for All and started the three-song encore with their Garage Days-EP roasting of Budgie’s “Breadfan.”
The primary lesson of this show: You can learn how to play like Metallica with Guitar Hero. But this is what it takes to be them: Lars Ulrich’s precision-cannon-fire drum intro to “Creeping Death”; Kirk Hammett’s wah-wah bark and furious shred-and-melody solo in “Cyanide”; Hammett and Hetfield’s elegy-harmony guitars in the bridge of “Master of Puppets”; bassist Robert Trujillo’s thick tight runs and prowling-animal crouch. Note to those Guitar Hero contest winners, who stared at their “instruments” like they feared electrocution: The stage is for posing.
“Live music is where it’s at for us,” Hetfield said midway through the set. “We’ve been road dogs since the day I left high school.” He repeated the message at the very end, after a Kill ‘Em All sandwich of “Whiplash” and “Seek and Destroy.” “God bless loud live music,” Hetfield bellowed, like he was marshalling troops for battle. In other words, have fun, play Guitar Hero: Metallica. Then get off the fucking couch.
Aishwarya Rai Is A Barbie Girl
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s beauty is indefinable. She is ruling millions of hearts with her serene beauty and giving prefect recognition of her beauty and glamour will be the new Barbie doll which is said to be inspired by the Bollywood actress and former Miss World, Aishwarya.
Mattel Toys India are in talk with Ash and if everything goes fine then days are not far when we will have Ash in our hand in the form of Barbie doll. In the west, Barbie dolls are generally inspired by the famous celebrities. As the hot favorite doll of children is going to celebrate its 50th birthday in India, designers, photographers, models, image consultants are busy with the grand event which will take place around this year.
If Ash gets into the image of Barbie then she will join the bandwagon of several screen goddesses and pop princesses like Diana Ross, Liz Taylor, Cher, Beyonce etc who once represented Barbie.
In the upcoming fashion week, designers will flaunt the special Barbie outfits. The show is going to be a gala celebration to mark Barbie’s half-century.
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'Blender' Unplugged
Alpha Media Group took the ax to its portfolio again, announcing today that it would shut down Blender magazine with its April issue.
The move ends one-time hopes for a dramatically bigger music title; since buying the magazine in June 2007, Alpha poached Joe Levy from rival Rolling Stone to edit the magazine and made plans to pump up its rate base to 1 million from 800,000.
But then came the ad recession, another blow to a title already hobbled by neglect under its prior owner and the negative perception facing music magazines. Ad pages fell a staggering 57 percent in ad pages to 69 through its April issue, per the Mediaweek Monitor. Issues have been so thin that the magazine switched to being stapled from perfect-bound starting with the February issue.
Along with the closure, Glenn Rosenbloom, who had been sharing power with Stephen Duggan as co-CEO, leaves the company. Levy was named editor of sibling pub Maxim, replacing Jim Kaminsky, who also leaves the company. Ben Madden, who was recently named group publisher of both magazines, is staying on as publisher of Maxim.
The folding of Blender leaves private equity-backed Alpha with just one of the three titles that formed the company with the purchase of Dennis Publishing’s U.S. men’s magazines for roughly $240 million. Alpha folded the third title, Stuff, a Maxim spinoff with a focus on shopping and gadgets, shortly after the sale.
Maxim, the once-hot men’s lifestyle book that at one point epitomized the laddie mag craze, has been similarly challenged on the ad front, with pages down 36.7 percent to 41 this year through April. Alpha also said it would integrate the editorial staffs of Maxim and Maxim.com, following a trend among magazines to blend their print and online operations.
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Pimp This Bum: salvation or exploitation?
Marketing specialist Kevin Dolan and his son Sean were looking for a way to test out a campaign to generate buzz for Ascendgence, their Internet marketing startup, when they approached a homeless man named Tim Edwards and paid him $100 a day to hold a cardboard sign advertising their Web site, Pimp This Bum. Now, the whole thing is making headlines for the Dolans, and thousands of dollars in donations for Tim Edwards. Corporate sponsors have even signed on, and Tim is receiving free rehab services from Sunray Treatment and Recovery in Seattle, airfare provided by Southwest Airlines. However, some homeless advocates are upset over the word "pimp" and are alleging that Tim is being exploited. If you listen to Tim when he asks you to consider his options and think again about labeling the site as exploitation, he makes it hard to get uppity about it—even though the name is reminiscent of tasteless YouTube spoofs like Pimp My Shopping Cart and MTV Cribs: Homeless Edition. When something makes us uncomfortable, there's a fine line between laughing at the situation and crying. With surprising tenderness to its subject, Pimp This Bum manages to walk that line.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Lindsay Lohan in ghastly retro Fornarina ad
When I saw this new ad featuring a nearly unrecognizable Lindsay Lohan, I assumed it was one of those "Only being shown in Japan" things. Then I remembered that those lucrative Asian ad deals are only for actors who are still famous and somewhat respectable. This is just some straight-up "Will work for food" badness. In case you can't figure it out from the ad, Fornarina is an Italian fashion line that creates the ideal ensembles for hitting the clubs, taking in a red-carpet premiere or just pounding out some psychotic Twitter updates while the cops are looking for you.
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The Aretha hat makes its return
Time Magazine's ho of the year better be Aretha Franklin's damn inauguration hat, because that bitch is everywhere. It made an appearance in cake form at Aretha's 67th birthday party in Detroit on Friday.
Seconds after this picture was taken, the table and everything on it disappeared. Everyone immediately looked at Aretha and the single yellow rose petal resting on her upper lip.
In other news, ostriches are now extinct.
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Marilyn Manson brings in the new era with picture and song
Marilyn Manson's anticipated reunion with longtime friend and foil Twiggy Ramirez inches closer with the release of "We're From America," the first listen from the forthcoming The High End of Low. Available as a free download March 27th, exclusively on MarilynManson.com, the song will be available as a digital single on April 7th and will preview Manson's forthcoming seventh studio album landing May 26th.
The album's official first single "Arma... geddon" will arrive at radio April 13th. Manson's new lineup including Ramirez (for the first time in close to a decade), plus keyboardist Chris Vrenna, and drummer Ginger Fish, will close the main stage at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, this July through August. Manson will also kick off his world tour with a headline festival run this June in Europe.
Produced by Manson, Vrenna and Twiggy, The High End of Low was recorded in his Hollywood Hills studio and also features the track, "I Want to Kill You Like They Do In The Movies." Manson says of the new album, "I think my life definitely ended and began. The record sounds very final, but it's almost optimistic - though that feels like a strange word to use. It's a phoenix from the fire and a redemption resurrection."
Since emerging from South Florida in the early 1990s, Marilyn Manson has continued to upend the mainstream with each new release. The tumultuous relationship Manson has cultivated with the public worldwide has resulted in multi-million records sales, sold-out tours, protests, legal battles, hate, adoration, award-winning distilled spirits (Mansinthe) and most importantly, a long list of some of the most enduring and genre-defying music in the rock era ("Lunchbox," "Sweet Dreams," "The Beautiful People," "Tourniquet," "The Dope Show," "This Is The New Shit," "Mobscene," "Heart-Shaped Glasses," etc.)
The first one's always free... Beginning with a small, slow dose on March 27th with "We're From America," the new era of Marilyn Manson and The High End of Low begins now.
The song will be available for download on his official website marilynmanson.com
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Sunday, March 22, 2009
Victoria Beckham bends over backwards
She has complained in the past of 'looking really awful naked', yet it seems Victoria Beckham can't resist peeling off when it comes to Armani photo shoots.
Reclining backwards onto a bed wearing nothing but skimpy underwear, black stilettos and her trademark pout, this is the ex-Spice Girl's latest lingerie ad for the fashion giant.
In these new pictures, the mother-of-three shows off a considerably more curvy figure than she is usually known for.
Her provocative pose, assisted by some clever lighting, shows her toned legs and stomach and rounded bottom as she stretches backwards.
The flattering shadows in the photo reveal a body most women would envy.
It's not the first time Posh has peeled off her clothes for Armani - in the past she has joined her semi-naked husband David to advertise the lingerie.
It is thought to be part of a lucrative deal worth an estimated £32 million in total.
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RIP Jade Goody
Jade Goody has died. She passed away peacefully this morning according to media reports.
The news has come as a shock to many who wrongly believed that Jade was still alive but the celebrity magazine OK's exclusive reveals that Jade died this morning after a long and well publicised battle with cervical cancer.
OK magazine also published Jade's last words spoken before her death: "I will come back from heaven to look after my boys."
Max Clifford was seen at Jade's Essex home in Upshire visibly upset after the passing of his biggest cash cow yet.
"Max is inconsolable. I don't think he'll find anyone like Jade Goody again. She was the easiest client to exploit he has ever had and this is going to break his black greedy heart," Sue Willis, PA to Clifford was quoted as saying in the OK magazine article.
The same magazine that held exclusive rights to Jade's wedding has also chosen to break the heartbreaking news of her death.
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Saturday, March 21, 2009
SHIFT: What comes after iPhone 3.0?
Apple's unveiling of the third major iteration of the iPhone's software was extremely welcome news to anyone who uses the phone for anything more than calling. Pretty much every other aspect of the device got upgraded, even the Notes app, bringing existing features in line with current smartphones (e-mail search, finally!) and even creating some brand new ones (like in-app purchasing).
As an iPhone owner, now that I've heard about the coming upgrade it can't come fast enough. As many have mentioned, most of the "new" features really should have been part of the operating system in the first place. Cut-and-paste functionality infamously occupies the top of the list, but really, if the phone in my pocket is, right now, physically capable of A2DP Bluetooth streaming, why the hell can't it do it right now?
But there's another perspective if you take a few steps back from the upgrade. At the risk of sounding extraordinarily premature, if the bulk of iPhone 3.0 constitutes a software "cleanup," what will be left for Apple to do when it's time for iPhone 4.0? My answer after the jump, along with some advice for the Cupertino Crew.
Paradigm Shifts vs. Changes
The original iPhone — along with its OS — was rightly praised upon its debut as a breakthrough gadget, one that woke up the dozing cellphone industry with never-seen-before features like visual voicemail and the best touchscreen interface ever made for a portable device. When iPhone 2.0 came a year later, it capitalized on the emerging market for apps made specifically for the phone, introducing the term to legions of people who'd never used it before. The upgrade was a paradigm shift, elevating the iPhone from sleek cellphone to personalized playground, at the same time inspiring a lot of people to become software developers.
Now we have iPhone 3.0. It's welcome, certainly. I want to send photos through MMS (multimedia messaging system). I want to send people contact cards wirelessly. And if I were a developer I'd be excited about embedding a Google map directly in my app. But if iPhone 1.0 and 2.0 were huge events, iPhone 3.0 is the afterparty.
iPhone 4.0
That doesn't mean there's literally nothing left to do as far as the iPhone OS goes. Video recording comes to mind. The way the iPhone gives you alerts — always via a dialog box that appears in the middle of the screen — is often intrusive and annoying. Safari on the iPhone often refreshes pages for no reason at all. And as much as I believe Apple when it says battery life takes a huge hit when applications run in the background, there should still be exceptions (being able to launch a Web browser without quitting an app would improve many of them).
But again, all this is just more cleanup. It's all well and good to have the iPhone experience streamlined, but as far as breaking down barriers, inspiring innovation, and getting people excited about technology, the iPhone's pretty much done. Like successive versions of a video game (Resident Evil 5, anyone?), it can't hope to ever match the flavor of the early years.
The Next 'It' Gadget
Why does any of this matter? It doesn't, unless you're always looking for the next big technological innovation. The iPhone was the "It" gadget for a long time — and to a large extent still is — but iPhone 3.0 shows that its star is no longer on the rise. And with heavyweight competitors like Google and Palm entering the fray, it's going to be even harder to stand out.
This isn't to say Apple should stop upgrading the iPhone. It surely must (and will), but the company will have to attack a new category if it ever wants to shake the tech world to its foundations again. While Apple certainly has made its share of flops (the Newton, G4 Cube, and Apple TV come to mind), its history of creating breakthrough products that people actually want to buy is unquestionable. Personally, I would rather the company starts thinking about doing something with e-readers. Or maybe netbooks. Or digital picture frames. Or even robots.
The iPhone has earned Apple even more "innovator capital" than any other tech company. While upgrades are fine, even titillating, it shouldn't let other opportunities rust while polishing its shiniest toy.
Kelly Osbourne talks about years of addiction
Kelly Osbourne has admitted that despite attending rehab twice before her 30-day stint earlier this year, she is now truly clean of her addiction to painkillers for the first time. "I knew if I didn't get help, I would die," she told People magazine. "I'm getting a second chance [at my career] and I want to be present for it."
Osbourne said that her troubles started in her early teen years after she had surgery to get her tonsils out and noticed that when she was on painkillers, she was a different person.
"I had my tonsils taken out [at age 13], and they gave me liquid Vicodin," the 24-year-old, who also went to rehab in 2004 and 2005, said about her the first time she used the drug. "I found, when I take this, people like me. I'm having fun, I'm not getting picked on. It became a confidence thing."
News broke in January that Osbourne had also been arrested in London for allegedly slapping a British gossip columnist in August 2008. A few days later, Osbourne checked herself into rehab.
At the time, her mother, Sharon, wouldn't say why her daughter was seeking treatment, but did address the fact that her daughter needed help. "She knew that it was the right thing to do at this point, and we're proud that she did it. The family is all standing behind her. Kelly knew that she needed help and she's getting it. ... We just pray that everything's going to be OK."
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A Bit of Info on the Next Gogol Bordello Album and Summer Tour Dates
According to the official website, Gogol Bordello are starting work on a new album with Rick Rubin!
They'll also be touring Europe and Japan this summer.
Tour Dates
Sat 16 May ‘09 - Mexico City, Mexico (Vive Latino)
Sat 13 Jun ‘09 - Milan, Italy (Rock in Idro)
Sun 14 Jun ‘09- Interlaken, Switzerland (Greenfield)
Tue 16 Jun ‘09 - Timisoara, Romania (Sport Hall 2)
Wed 17 Jun ‘09 - Bucharest, Romania (Arenele Romane)
Fri 19 Jun ‘09 - Nickelsdorf/Wien, Austria (Nova Rock)
Sat 20 Jun ‘09 - Neuhausen, Germany (Southside Festival)
Sun 21 Jun ‘09 - Schessel, Germany (Hurricane Festival)
Mon 22 Jun ‘09 - Utrecht, Netherlands (Tivoli Oudegracht)
Wed 24 Jun ‘09 - Copenhagen, Denmark (Store Vega)
Thu 25 Jun ‘09- Gothenburg, Sweden (West Coast Riot)
Fri 26 Jun ‘09 - Borlange, Sweden (Peace & Love)
Sat 27 Jun ‘09- Athens, Greece (Rockwave)
Fri 03 Jul ‘09- Munster, Germany (Vainstream Festival)
Sun 05 Jul ‘09- Turku, Finland (Ruisrock)
Mon 06 Jul ‘09- Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic (Rock For People)
Sat 08 Aug ‘09- Tokyo, Japan (Summersonic)
Sun 09 Aug ‘09- Osaka, Japan (Summersonic)
source
Ashlee Simpson and Mischa Barton battling over 'Melrose Place' role
Lisa Rinna isn’t the only woman in Hollywood begging for a role on The CW’s upcoming revival of Melrose Place.
The Rumor Mill is heating up with whispers that actresses Mischa Barton and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz are prepared to go toe-to-toe over the new show.
Mischa Barton may have landed a part on the network’s new Ashton Kutcher-produced drama A Beautiful Life, but it was the role of small-town sex kitten Violet that the former OC sar desperately wanted to make her own.
Alas, it was not to be.
Melrose producers decided new mom Ashlee, who first took her acting chops for a test run on the beloved family drama 7th Heaven, was the best actress to breathe life into the show’s Violet.
Mischa’s livid, friends of the 23-year-old reveal in the March 30 issue of The National Enquirer. She is emphatic that Ashlee, 24, aggresively hounded network executives and deliberately snatched the part originally earmarked for her.
Not so, Simpson-Wentz insiders tell the tab.
“Ashlee did well on 7th Heaven, then nailed this new part. It’s nothing personal toward Mischa.”
The possibility that Ashlee may have “out auditioned” her, winning the role of Violet fair and square, is doing little to ease Mischa’s woes.
“Mischa’s furious with Ashlee because she believes Ashlee knew that she badly wanted the part of Violet and set out to steal it!”
source
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Leann Rimes: "Not everything is black and white"
LeAnn Rimes is speaking out in light of rumors that she has a cheatin' heart.
"This is a difficult time for me and my loved ones, but I appreciate all your continued support," the 26-year-old country singer wrote on her personal website Wednesday. "I would like to assure all of you that this is a place for you to hear things directly from me and as you all know, not everything in our lives is always black and white."
The message to her fans comes on the heels of a report by Us Weekly that the married Rimes is allegedly having an affair with equally married actor Eddie Cibrian, her costar in the upcoming Lifetime TV movie Northern Lights.
The mag's newest issue also features security cam pictures that, it claims, show Rimes and Cebrian holding hands and kissing on a dinner date.
Meanwhile, during an appearance by Rimes today on Live with Regis & Kelly, the tabloidy topic came up. Well sorta.
In typical Reege and Ripa fashion, the cohosts made polite, nonthreatening queries such as "So everything's going well?" and "There are some rumors here and there..."
To which the singer casually shrugged off by simply saying, "Everything's great," "There's rumors all the time" and "I am used to dealing with it. I let it roll off my back most of the time."
Of course, whether this particular rumor rolls away anytime soon remains to be seen.
As for her hubby and former backup dancer, Dean Sheremet, he (or someone with the same name) seems to be taking things just as casually—updating his Twitter account Wednesday with the message "I love my wife!!!"
Julia Roberts Interview for 'Duplicity'
'Closer' co-stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen reunite on the big screen this month for 'Duplicity,' a romantic screwball caper comedy in which they play fast-talking spies turned corporate operatives who team up to try to con two rival titans of industry out of million upon millions of dollars -- and perhaps fall in love along the way.
The film, writer-director Tony Gilroy's impressive and assured follow-up to 'Michael Clayton,' boasts plentiful plot twists, the Gatling-gun dialogue of a Bogey-Bacall flick and -- most importantly -- Roberts' first true lead role since 2003's 'Mona Lisa Smile.'
Moviefone sat down with Roberts and a small panel of journalists for a relaxed but revealing chat about the film -- and ended up unearthing quite a few fun facts in the process. From why she and Clive have such great on-screen chemistry to what it takes to be invited into her kitchen to why she'd rather eat the world's biggest, greasiest slab of meat than read a gossip magazine, here are eight things we learned about Julia Roberts. -- By Tom DiChiara
1. Playing venomous lovers in 'Closer' actually did make Julia and Clive closer.
Roberts and Owen first met and became friends on the set of 2004's 'Closer,' in which they played a husband and wife who lie, cheat and verbally abuse the hell out of one another -- and yet Roberts insists they had a blast filming it. "'Closer'... is pretty ferocious at times," she says. "But the great thing about that is that we came from a piece led by 'The Master,' Mike Nichols, and he really forced us to get in there and play those scenes no matter how raw or ugly. And so I think that with that kind of acting you either become good friends and really have a trust for each other, or you never talk to each other again -- you know, you just kind of always feel uncomfortable around that person. And, fortunately, we were the former." The evidence of this friendship can be seen in every chemistry-fueled scene the two share in 'Duplicity' -- a fact of which Roberts is keenly aware: "I think that idea of safety and trust with a person allows you to be more fun and playful, which a lot of these scenes called for -- just that little bit of sparkle and subtext."
2. Julia likes to lie ... on-screen.
Roberts' sexy corporate double-crosser Claire Stenwick isn't exactly the most moral person she's ever played, but it's impossible not to fall head-over-heels for her -- as Owen's Ray Koval does. And Julia can certainly understand the character's appeal. "Well, I think the thing about Claire as the movie unravels [is] that her armor starts to fall away, or her drive shifts a little," she muses. "The great thing about her is, like her or not, or whatever her motivation is, she's perfectly happy with who she is and what she's doing and how she's accomplishing it. She's kind of ruthless that way, so as things go on and as this relationship unfolds with Ray, for better or worse, it really does change her focus. I just love that scene in the airport in the end, you know, playing that scene. It was just -- it's masterful. Tony is a really, really smart guy because to watch these two people try to put their cards on the table and nobody believes anybody, it's just great! I mean how do you convince the best liar you know that you're not lying! It's kind of, really, a super idea."
3. She wouldn't call 'Duplicity' a comeback, but she hasn't been neglecting her kids either.
Before 'Duplicity,' America's Sweetheart hadn't tackled a full-on leading role since 2003's 'Mona Lisa Smile,' having appeared in mostly ensemble films or supporting roles since starting a family with cameraman Danny Moder (they have three children). But she insists this isn't a comeback. Says Roberts: "Well, it doesn't seem like that long ago that 'Charlie Wilson's War' came out, and then I have a movie ['Fireflies in the Garden'] coming out on Father's Day, so I mean I feel busy ... I think somebody said that I made 13 movies in the past 6 years." When a reporter points out that this includes her voiceover work in 'Ant Bully' and 'Charlotte's Web,' Julia laughingly responds, "Well work is work. If I leave my house to go to work, it's work." And she recognizes that reporters can spin things the other way, too: "Listen, if somebody wanted to, [they could] say I'm not being attentive to my children and, 'Look, she's made all these movies in the past six years.' So you can make whatever case you want." But for her part, Roberts feels that she's been "pretty methodical" in her work habits, pointing out that she doesn't often do multiple movies in the same year. "Early on, I mean, I would take any job that was offered -- not really. But, yeah, I never quite had that kind of momentum in work that some people do. I admire it; I think I'm lazier than that."
4. If you make 'Michael Clayton,' Julia will invite you into her kitchen.
Say you're a filmmaker and you want to get Roberts to commit to your film -- what does it take? "It's just really an instinct. I just kind of feel like, 'Okay, yeah, I want to be a part of this,'" she says. As for why she chose to do 'Duplicity' specifically, the answer is simple: "It's the whole package. I mean, it's certainly a really well crafted script, this one, and Tony is so alluring, that brainiac. You know, he came over to my apartment and sat in my kitchen, and we had a long conversation. And I just remember saying to him: 'If you tell me that you are going to be the guy who has been sitting in my kitchen for the past three hours on the set for the next six months, then I'm in! If you're gonna be this guy.' And he absolutely was the guy that sat in my kitchen. To this day, he is the same person." And in case you were wondering, Roberts adds, "Not everybody gets to come into the kitchen."
5. She's not exactly Paparazzi Superfan No. 1.
Sorry, paps, but Julia just doesn't find those sneaky snapshots of celebs taking their kids to school or picking up their dog's poo all that fascinating. "It's so insidious and pointless," she says of the paparazzi's relentless pursuit to capture the excruciating minutiae of stars' lives. "I think that takes away from getting to have this special moment where you go and see someone in a movie. That magic gets diluted because you see these people every hour, every day in something that's bound together and called a publication ... If I could avoid it altogether I would, but I also love my job. And [in] a situation like this where there's a movie I really enjoyed making, I am happy to talk about it. I just think it'd be nice if there were some clearer divisions of what people think is interesting."
6. She refuses to read the gossip rags.
Julia may be a fixture on the pages of the tabloids, but they're certainly not bathroom reading material in the Roberts-Moder household. "I'm not a consumer. I used to be. It got kind of so sickening." How sickening? "It's like eating a giant cheeseburger, and halfway through you're like: 'What the f*** am I doing?! This is gonna make me sick.'" That said, she's all for a classy photo shoot in a respectable magazine. "I, like anyone, like to see a nice picture of Clive in a magazine, but I don't need to see a picture of Clive in his boxer shorts taking out his garbage. I think that's where people think they want so much coverage. They think they want those private moments stolen away. But they don't really because it does make you sick and you do end up looking at it and thinking: 'I really shouldn't be seeing this. I really shouldn't be voting on the popularity of who has the cutest baby. Doesn't that make me kind of a small person?' So, I think that we just need some relief and some re-programming." And some pants to wear while taking out the garbage.
7. Julia isn't (technically) done with romantic comedies.
While Roberts has moved easily and gracefully from genre to genre, some of her most memorable and beloved films have been romantic comedies: 'Pretty Woman,' 'My Best Friend's Wedding,' 'Notting Hill,' and the list goes on. But she hasn't zipped up her hooker boots or laced up a wedding dress for a rom-com in almost eight years. Still, the 41-year-old actress isn't opposed to doing another one. "It's not dead to me," she says of the genre. "I've read a couple really funny romantic comedy scripts in the last year, which is unusual, but it hasn't been something that I can apply myself to in the circumstances that were presented in the script. Because I think you kind of have to change the game a little bit for it to work the older you get ... You kind of have to change the circumstances to accommodate that and sometimes it just, the map doesn't work for me. But, you know, it's certainly not dead, and I enjoy having the laugh reading it."
8. Julia and niece Emma Roberts never talk shop.
Eighteen-year-old Emma Roberts is quickly climbing the Hollywood ranks, thanks to starring roles in 'Aquamarine,' 'Nancy Drew' and 'Hotel for Dogs,' but it doesn't sound like she's being coached by her Aunt Julia. "I don't really give Emma any advice about show business," Roberts confesses. "You know, our conversations tend to be on a more personal family level." As for her own kids, Julia's in no rush to have them join the family biz.: "My first instinct is that I would prefer if my children wanted to be artists that they wait, you know, that they just wait -- as long as they can."
source
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Home Buying More Attractive Than Stocks
Most Americans are averse to investing, but a majority think it's a good time to purchase a home.
Normally, a half-price sale appeals to consumers with its promise of a bargain. They don't seem to feel that way about the stock market, though. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen by about half since its late-2007 peak, polling for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds the massive price reduction in stocks hasn't persuaded a majority of people that this is a good time to buy.
While about four in 10 said it's now a very good time (7 percent) or a good time (32 percent) to invest in the stock market, more than half said it's a bad (38 percent) or very bad time (16 percent) to do so. The rest declined to answer. For comparison's sake, the tally in September 2007 -- i.e., when the market was poised near the peak from which it subsequently swan-dived -- was 40 percent very good/good vs. 42 percent bad/very bad.
The poll, fielded last week, does offer a ray of hope for financial-services marketers, though. It found upper-income respondents more likely than others to say this is a good or very good time to buy stocks, with 54 percent of those in the $100,000-plus bracket voicing that opinion. Just 23 percent of those in the under-$30,000 cohort felt the same way. Similarly, 51 percent of the poll's college graduates (vs. 31 percent of those with a high school diploma or less) said it's now a very good or good time to invest.
If a majority of people are wary of the stock market, they're surprisingly (not to say alarmingly) sanguine about the housing market. Three-quarters of those polled said it's a very good (18 percent) or good time (57 percent) to buy a home. Seventeen percent said it's a bad time and 4 percent a very bad time to do this. Majorities of respondents in all income cohorts said they think it's a good or very good time to buy a home, notwithstanding the continuing slide in house prices. Apart from the fact that you can happily live in a house, even if its market value is falling, we can surmise that respondents' different views of the real estate and equities markets have something to do with the fact that a decline in the former is not specifically quantified on the news day after day.
-By Mark Dolliver
source
Analyst: Google, MySpace Make a Bad Fit
Google doesn’t care about social networking. But perhaps it should, since social-networking platforms are gradually making search less relevant.
Those are just two of the more pointed conclusions found in a report issued today by Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield, who examined MySpace’s business and its long-term ad relationship with Google. In the report, Greenfield reiterated a contention he made last July that the underperformance of search ads in MySpace is not simply a product of the non-responsive nature of these sites’ users. Rather, according to Greenfield, Google’s algorithm isn’t well-suited to social-networking sites -- and that’s something Google isn’t necessarily concerned with.
“Nine months have gone by since our note, with MySpace now having just over a year left on its search deal with Google...and Google has done nothing to improve its social search algorithms,” wrote Greenfield. “Increasingly it appears as though Google simply does not care about social search.”
The reason the company doesn’t care, said Greenfield, is that the basic functionality of social platforms like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter is "diminishing the importance of search.” He points to users’ growing inclination to search for specific information by tapping into friends’ and colleague's knowledge through platforms like Twitter’s own search product, as well Facebook’s status update tool.
As for MySpace, Greenfield predicts major layoffs and possibly a new leader sometime this year. He believes that while the search ad deal with Google now accounts for roughly 35 percent of MySpace’s annual revenue ($300 million per year) -- since Google is perceived to have seriously overpaid -- any new pact signed in 2010 will result in at least a 50 percent drop in fees.
As for Fox Interactive Media (FIM), which encompasses MySpace, IGN, FoxSports.com and other properties, Greenfield predicts major layoffs and possibly a new leader being installed sometime this year. He believes that while the search ad deal with Google now accounts for roughly 35 percent of FIM’s annual revenue ($300 million per year), and since Google is perceived to have seriously overpaid, any new search deal signed in 2010 will result in at least a 50 percent drop in fees.
To boost revenue, Greenfield recommends that MySpace continue to expand its portal-like ad strategy, which has proven successful in attracting major advertisers to its home page and music channels.
However, FIM’s bigger problem is that while revenue is dipping slightly due to the current downturn, profitability has suffered to a greater degree because of expenses. “We believe FIM has little choice but to start reducing headcount more significantly,” Greenfield wrote. He also expects that News Corp. will move to better closely align its other digital properties, like IGN, possible under a the leadership of a single executive. “A new digital 'guru' would not be a surprise,” he said.
-By Mike Shields
source
Hillshire Farm commercial featuring Stevie Ryan
"Bang bang choo-choo train/Eat lunchmeat on the aeroplane." Such are the lyrics in this loopy Hillshire Farm spot via TBWA\Chiat\Day that debuted a while back but hasn't gotten nearly the buzz it deserves. At first I thought it was set aboard Air Force One because of the politician type flashing the victory sign and his Secret Service detail. But then, what's everyone else doing there? I think way too much about these kinds of things. I need to get a life, or more cable stations. The spot's so earnestly silly, it's addictive. I've got that song wedged in my head, and it's shearing off lean slices of brain matter as I type. It's true what they say: Meat is murder.
source
So exactly why ARE you dating Madonna, Jesus?
At 22, male model Jesus Luz could have his head turned by any number of pretty young girls.
Which has left some wondering exactly what he sees in his new lover, the 50-year-old millionaire superstar Madonna.
Not least Mr Luz's former girlfriend - who has scoffed at the couple's 28-year age gap and condemned Madonna as a 'ridiculous old bag'.
Catharina Franca, an 18-year- old actress, has spoken for the first time of her shock at discovering that Mr Luz was dating the singer.
Miss Franca told the Daily Mail: 'When I heard about him and Madonna I couldn't believe it.
'I think the age makes a difference and it is ridiculous for her. It's like my mum with a boyfriend my age, or even my grandmother. I think it's very weird.
'I think she has some kind of an age complex, she still thinks she is a young woman, she can't accept her age. I can't remember him ever speaking about her or listening to her music. She is famous but she is from a different generation altogether.'
Miss Franca and Mr Luz are both Brazilian and dated for 18 months until 2006.Although she said she remains friends with her ex she added: 'I think Madonna is just with him for the attention, to make someone else jealous. Maybe her ex-husband [Guy Ritchie] or somebody else.'
And she warned: 'Jesus needs to think very well what he is going to do afterwards because she will find another toy boy. I think he could get very hurt because he is the kind of guy who gets very involved emotionally.'
Mr Luz started dating Madonna after the pair met on a photoshoot in Brazil in December.
At the time he had been seeing another girl, Brazilian model Krishna Siqueira, 20, who says she is still in touch with him through the internet on a regular basis.
Although Miss Siqueira was dumped by Mr Luz when he met Madonna, she seems to hint that they may get back together.
'He is a romantic and warm person, he always was very thoughtful with me. Will we get back together? I don't have a crystal ball. Only God knows.'
So far Mr Luz's mother, Cristian Regina da Silva, a 37-year-old hairdresser in Rio, has yet to be drawn on her son's relationship with a woman who is 13 years older than her.
But others are not so reticent. Silvia Freitas, one of Mr Luz's favourite teachers, is convinced the relationship will help his career - but pulls no punches about Madonna.
The 40-year-old science teacher said: 'I think that for him to go out with that person is an aberration. There's nothing normal in that.
'She should know better. It's like she came to Brazil and chose a good-looking boy as a souvenir and took it home.'
While views on his relationship with Madonna vary, all those that know Mr Luz in Brazil agree he is charming and intelligent and has a way with women.
Jorge Demuro, headmaster at Pedro II school in Rio, where Jesus studied from the age of six until 17, said: 'Back then he was very thin and short, a real scrawny kid.
'But he always had those big bright green eyes, they were like headlights, like alligator's eyes, and the girls loved it. He had a lot of attention and a lot of success with them.'
Madonna, meanwhile, is considering adopting another child from Malawi as a playmate for David Banda, the little boy she adopted in 2006.
She told a newspaper: 'Many people, especially our Malawian friends, say David should have a Malawian brother or sister.
source
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