Now you can visit "The Shire" from The Lord of The Rings

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

A nature reserve in the UK that allegedly inspired descriptions for locations in J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is to be renamed. Birmingham city's Millstream Project will now be known as The Shire Country Park.

Tolkien spent his childhood in Birmingham with his mother and brother. The family first lived in the hamlet of Sarehole, which Tolkien said were some of the happiest years of his youth. Sarehole is supposed to have been the model for The Shire, home to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, and the other hobbits.

, Many other local landmarks in the area are also important to Tolkien's novels. Moseley Bog, with its Bronze Age burnt mounds and a mill pool, is said to be the "Old Forest" on the borders of the fictional Shire. The Old Forest in Tolkien's description was the last of the primeval wild woods and home to Old Man Willow and Tom Bombadil.

There is also a "Two Towers" reference, although it's more of a stretch. It's known as Perrot's Folly and Waterworks Tower in Edgbaston. The towers are 96-feet tall, and are said to be the inspiration for the Two Towers from the second part of the trilogy.

Finally, a structure called Sarehole Mill is the mill in Hobbiton. It is the mill (featured in the first book, The Hobbit) when Bilbo Baggins runs "as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water and then on for a mile or more." Tolkien issued a public appeal in the 60s to restore the mill, and it's been turned into a museum.

For more information, visit their official town site.

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Gwen Stefani: The Rolling Stone Interview

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

"You think about how you're gonna get away and have a normal life. I imagine children will save me from my vanity, and they will become my passion and fill whatever fears I have right now . . . I don't want to drop off and not be on the radio and not be able to talk about myself for hours. I don't want it to go away. But at the same time, I never expected to be here in the first place." The pop icon also says " . . . I'm 35. I don't have that much time left to do this kind of record. Let's be real."

Don't quit on us, Gwen! Follow in Tina Turner's high heels and keep doing your thing until you're 60. We love your style and what you do.

Send 'em in: The Ashlee Simpson CD Exchange

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Remember back in the day when you'd never heard of Ashlee Simpson and didn't have to hear her screeching and watch her hopping around stage? Me too. I miss those days.

For the past few months, a New York-based group dedicated to calling out bad music and film is offering a Simpson CD exchange. Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment (H.O.P.E), in conjunction with Rhino Records and New York City's Knitting Factory nightclub, is offering a deal to those former Simpson fans who bought Ashlee's debut album, Autobiography, and want the to change it for music by real singers and musicians.

, Simpson lovers-turned-haters can swap Autobiography for a different disc, one that H.O.P.E. calls "of higher entertainment quality." Among the choices for embarrassed former Simpson fans in the exchange: the Ramones, Elvis Costello, X, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Aretha Franklin, Mr. Bungle, Ray Charles, Abe Lincoln Story, Neil Hamburger, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Wilson. Check out the details.

The Simpson CD exchange marks the first time the Internet collective has put its money where its mouth is. The group also says the Simpson swap goes beyond her SNL meltdown. "Please be advised we are accepting exchanges based on the low entertainment quality of her music as well as her live lip-synching," notes H.O.P.E.'s Website. "Further confirming that Ashlee Simpson is this generation's answer to the Yugo, a group in New York City has gone to great pains to determine her trade-in value, which is surprisingly generous, if you ask us. In the wake of her lip-sync debacle, a gaggle of concerned music lovers -- dubbing themselves Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment, or H.O.P.E., for short -- has arranged for the singer's fans to get something more than just a thank-you note from the trash man for copies of her Autobiography album. All folks have to do is swing by New York City's Knitting Factory club between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. (or go to the hopeinamerica.com Web site) and they'll be able to trade the coaster for an album featuring real singing. We wouldn't mind seeing what we could get for our stash of tunes by Ashlee's big sis -- a couple bags of pork rinds seems fair to us."

-- Rolling Stone -- Nov. 12, 2004

If you've got nothing better to do, check out the Ashlee Simpson parody at liquidgeneration.com It's funny, but takes awhile to load, even with a high-speed connection.

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Madonna wins UK Children's Book Award. British Parents Gag.

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Madonna's The Adventures of Adbi, the fourth book in her children's series based on Kaballah, nabbed a coveted Blue Peter Award, from the popular children's show Blue Peter.

Now the material girl can proudly put her "woman of letters" award on the mantle next to her platinum records, Grammies and XXX Sex book.

The Blue Peter Award is an annual prize given out in the UK for EXCELLENCE in children's literature. There are three categories: "The Book I Couldn’t Put Down", "The Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud", and "The Best Book with Facts".

Since Madonna is totally faking her expertise in Kabbalah, I doubt it's category number three.

Now We Have to Put Up with MR. Brittany Spears?

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 12:11 AM | Permalink

Mr. Kevin Federline Spears has adopted a black nylon do-rag and apparently want to be a rapper. As it was reported to the New York Daily News, "Brittany wants him to come out as a rapper. She says he can flow. There's no way he can flow! He's no Vanilla Ice."

Wait -- He could be WORSE than Vanilla Ice?

Amazing Race 6: 8th episode

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

The current race is only in its 8th episode with 5 teams left, and now we hear that Amazing Race 7 will make its debut Tuesday, March 1 -- only three weeks after the current race finishes.

Why the short break between installments? CBS says that the ratings momentum the current Amazing Race 6 has generated -- it's posted big improvements for CBS in its 9 p.m. Tuesday timeslot -- justified the quick turnaround on the next installment. The timing also means the 7th race will carry into May TV ratings sweeps.

The current AR 6 will conclude with a 2-hour finale on Tuesday, Feb. 8.

Quote of the Day from last night's episode: "This place is much better than Dakar. It is a different KIND of poverty. Its like they these people CHOOSE to be this way. I think it’s kind of refreshing. The animals aren’t even as skinny." stupid model Kendra, on people in Ethopia.

Hayden has had a personality transplant -- she must have done some soul searching after the first few weeks, because she's a different person now.

And Victoria DID, in fact, have two asses with her going up the road: a donkey -- AND JONATHAN!

Guillermo Coria Watch!

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

ARGENTINE sixth seed Guillermo Coria made a successful start to the Australian Open strolling through his first-round encounter with Czech Tomas Berdych in straight sets on Tuesday.

Coria, who lost in the first round as the fifth seed in last year's Open, was never in trouble against Berdych. He broke the Berdych twice in the opening set and in the fifth game of the second set before racing through the final set without dropping a game.

Coria will now play either Brazilian Ricardo Mello or Spaniard Alberto Martin in the next round on Thursday.

I'm hoping for great things for Coria -- He reached his first career grand slam final last year in the French Open losing to Gaston Gaudio.

Scorsese Making a Bob Dylan Documentary Film - Much to the surprise of Bob Dylan

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 2:48 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Director Martin Scorsese is exploring a new documentary film angle: Don't actually speak to the living person you're doing a film on. Now, Scorsese has reportedly been working on a film about Bob Dylan for two years, but he says he hasn't actually spoken to Dylan about it., "I'd not like to deal with the man directly," Scorsese told TV critics during the Golden Globes weekend. "I'd like to create the story, to find the story, first of all, and then play it out the way I think it's right."

The film concentrates on Dylan's early performing years from 1961 to 1966 and will run this summer as part of the PBS "American Masters" series. Scorsese has access to 10 hours of fresh Dylan interviews conducted by the singer's manager, and said he may eventually ask Dylan a few questions.

"I'm trying to make as honest a film as possible without unnecessary restrictions," he said. "But I think for me, of course, I'm on his side, so I might come out in terms of a pro-Dylan."

I can't say that I blame Scorsese. I mean, I have as much interest in watching a documentary on Bob Dylan as Scorsese seems to have for interviewing Bob Dylan, one of the most incoherent mumblers in rock history.

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Something Wicked This Way Comes: Point Pleasant

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

The deliciously creepy-looking series Point Pleasant debuts on the FOX Network on Wednesday, January 19th.

A small town on the coast in New Jersey town finds more than a violent storm washes in with the tide when a young woman Christina Nickson (Elizabeth Harnois) is rescued from the ocean by local lifeguard Jesse Parker (Sam Page). She is brought to the home of local doctor Ben Kramer (Richard Burgi), and the kindly Kramers let her to stay with them as she searches for clues to her past and she attempts to find her mother, who had apparently lived in Point Pleasant some time ago.

Christina presences influences the feelings and desires among the town locals. Tensions flare and long-buried secrets begin to surface, especially when the mysterious Thomas Boyd (Grant Show) arrives and insinuates himself into Christina's new life.

Long story short, Christina fights to control her awakening supernatural powers while looking for her mother, who was a mortal woman. And her father? It turns out he's the Devil. Tune in and watch all hell breaks loose. Visit the official website at FOX.

Too Many Seabiscuits for Toby Maguire

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )