Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs set a social media buzz recently by announcing that he’ll be a series regular on the long-running British TV show Downton Abbey. The music mogul made the announcement on Wednesday on his Twitter account followed shortly by a series of retweets of congratulatory messages from his fans. Combs was even quoted saying, “I have to admit that Downton Abbey is one of my favorite shows, and that’s why I’m so excited today,” after having his background and profile photo on the social network changed to promotional images of the hit TV series.
MY BIG NEWS: So happy to announce that Im a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY-my favorite show+i’ll be debuting a sneak peek tonight 12am PST!
But then here comes PBS, the network that carries the ITV produced show in the US, saying that it isn’t happening. “It’s not true,” said PBS spokeswoman Carrie Johnson in an email to Reuters.
Speculations now point to the rapper’s Twitter account being hacked. And although a representative for Diddy has already gave a statement that the reports of him joining are not true saying, “He is not joining the cast of Downton Abbey,” nothing was said about the tweet or a even reason as to why it was made.
Image source: News.sky.com
The show, which started its third season in the US in January, is already filming its fourth season in Britain.
Who says that learning history is boring? It isn’t, and it doesn’t have to be, especially if it’ll only take you about five minutes or so to get started.
Yes, it can be done, as you’ll soon find out once you listen to Michael Rank’s History In Five Minutes Podcast! Learn about the lives of various leaders and rulers, both the ruthless and the charismatic, and find out what they did that earned them their worldwide reputation; from Genghis Khan to Vlad Dracul. Also, find out what major events like the Plague and the Crusades shaped how we have evolved as a society.
You’d be surprised at how much information you can get just from listening to Rank’s 5-minute narratives. He presents his material in such a way that is bound to make you feel like you’d want to explore deeper into the subject matter. If he has already covered a particular subject that you’re currently doing a homework or a project on, then you’re in luck, ‘coz his podcast is perfect to help you get started with more than just a gist.
In this featured episode, Rank talks about the first President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, which he describes as influential as Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin combined. What did he do to make such an indelible mark on history? Well, hit the play button and find out.
You can also check out what he has covered so far by visiting his official website.
Probably the most difficult thing about being in the creative field is that you’re expected to have fresh ideas almost constantly and provide them at a moment’s notice,, which of course almost impossible. Todd Henry’s podcast called The Accidental Creative will try to fix that and minimize that kind of situation as it gives you some helpful tips and information on how to thrive in this create-on-demand world.
Listen in and join Todd as he interviews various artists and leaders in the field such as Seth Godin, David Allen, Steve Pressfield. In each episode they address problems that people in the creative field encounter in their line work, particularly when it comes to productivity. Find out what their secrets are to stay ‘creatively engaged’ as they share ideas and practical ways for you to become prolific, brilliant, and healthy in both your life and work.
In his last episode, Todd talks about setting artificial limits when it comes to your goals. You can find the complete list of episode in iTunes.
Summer is already fast approaching – well, unless you’re in Minnesota since I heard that they’ve yet to fully experience the warmth of spring – and that means we’ve got another round of movie blockbusters.
Marvel Studios with Paramount Pictures already gave us Iron Man 3 – much to our delight – and now it’s time for the rest of Hollywood to make us feel good about busting $8-$12 at the theaters. So how many and which one of them are worth one-and-half to two hours of your time? Below is a list of upcoming movies this summer that I’m feeling confident about spending my money on.
Man of Steel (June 14) – I have to admit that I’m still doubtful on this one because of Zack Snyder’s involvement. Don’t get me wrong, with all due respect to Snyder, he can direct and he’s pretty good when it comes to visual presentation (e.g. 300, Watchmen), but writing and producing? Sucker Punch, anyone?
Now I know that some said not to worry because Christopher Nolan produced it, but that’s not what Henry Cavill said in his recent interview with CMB. According to him, it was actually Snyder who was in charge the whole time – not Nolan (which he himself affirmed). Oh well, I guess we’ll just hope for the best as we wait and see.
Pacific Rim (July 12) – Again, just like with the Man of Steel, the reason why I wouldn’t mind spending my money on this one (whether it becomes a huge box office success or not) is because of the ‘man at the helm’, which in this case is Guillermo del Toro.
Whenever this man is put in charge of a film that involves strange creatures, I feel confident that it’s going to be good. Case examples: Hellboy and Hellboy 2, and Pan’s Labyrinth. But writer/director aside, another reason why this ought to be something worth watching is because it is something refreshing. After all, it’s not that often do we get to see giant monster (a.k.a. Kaiju) films, right, especially good ones.
The Wolverine (July 26) – The reason why this is on this list is simple – I enjoyed watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This may not be much of a huge hit, especially when compared to Iron Man and Man of Steel, but it’ll certainly be a fun and worthwhile movie to watch.
Elysium (August 9) – if you love District 9 then you might have high hopes for this one. After all, it is both written and directed by the same person: Neill Blomkamp. Plus, it also features Sharlto Copley, who played as the protagonist Wikus Van De Merwe in District 9. How’s that for a good bonus?
Even with all of the colorful and funny cartoon shows on cable, nothing is still quite like listening to a good old-fashioned story. Especially if it’s one that provides more than just pure entertainment for the kids, just like today’s featured podcast Mayor of Storyville with Kenny Haas. In his program, Kenny inspires his young audience to explore their creativity through stories, whether it’s writing, drawing, singing, and other talents. The show’s basically a two-in-one package; not only do the children get to enjoy a good story but they also have a source of inspiration.
Dressed in his signature light-blue dress shirt, tie, and suspenders, Kenny acts as the Mayor of Storyville who goes around visiting elementary schools and telling K-5th grade students wonderful stories with interesting characters. But it’s not just the kids that get to be entertained; even parents enjoy the tales as Kenny sometimes throws in a little reference to something that adults can relate to. Like in this featured episode shown below, where Kenny does a great impression of Christopher Walken and Thurston Howell III, which the kids aren’t likely to catch but the parents and teachers who are listening surely will.
Aside from its iTunes channel, also be sure to check out the audio romp of Mayor of Storyville: Now This is Fun that contains 42 minutes of songs and stories featured from various episodes of the show.
Who doesn’t love a good trivia game? After all, it’s fun and you get to learn little interesting tidbits of info about anything and everything under the sun. But it can be even more fun if you throw in a bunch of comedians to answer the questions. Think about it, have you ever watched a celebrity special of a particular game show? If not, consider Hollywood Squares — I don’t know about you but for me, it’s fun to watch because of the funny side comments, rhetoric, and one-liners that the celebrities say just before giving the real answers, especially if they’re comedic actors.
That’s what Steve Frech’s podcast titled What Do You Know? is like. It’s what you might get if you crossed Hollywood Squares with Whose Line Is It Anyway. It’s a comedy quiz show wherein a panel consisting of four comedians are asked a series of questions by Steve about a particular theme (each episode has a different theme), and points are rewarded not just for giving the correct answers but also for making him and the audience laugh.
In this particular episode, which was recorded on March 31st, the theme is Las Vegas. That means the panelists are going to be asked questions that have something to do with Sin City. Hence we’re going to find out much they know about it and its history.
Talking With My Mouth Full is a fairly new podcast program created by David Leite as a means to bring to life his site’s (Leite’s Culinaria) writers, cookbook authors, and other LC staffs, and also to get even more closer to its readers through guesting and calling-in. It is a show where he and his co-host Renee Schettler Rossi would, as their mission statement goes, “educate and entertain cooks and readers of all levels who are interested in the diverse world of food.”
To tell you a little something about your hosts, David is a food writer and owner of Leite’s Culinaria, a food blog site. He has shared his opinion in numerous publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, Bon Apetit, Saveur, and several others. He also has appeared on The Today Show and is a regular guest on WTNH-TV.
His partner Renee, on the other hand, is the site’s editor-in-chief and like David, she too, has made writing contributions to publications like The Washington Post and Martha Stewart Living. Her writing and editing skills have gained her recognition from NPR, Association of Food Journalists, and The Best American Recipes cookbook series.
The podcast has a 20-30 minutes runtime and in each episode, David and Renee, together with their guests, will question, laugh, and quibble their way through all manners of culinary conundrums, obsessions, fads, and fancies.
In their latest episode, which aired on May 6, they are joined by Lisa Fain, who talks about the right way to make chicken-fried steak, and a little bit about cream gravy vs. brown gravy. The interview will then be followed by a quick conversation with Beth Kujawski of Chicago who calls in and talks to the duo about how they like their brownies: cakey or fudgy, crispy edges or soft insides, coco or chocolate, etc. Listen up now, and see how our moms have shaped the way we eat!
Anyone who has worked in an office environment will be able to relate to today’s featured podcast. If you know someone at work who might be a brown-noser, butt-kisser, backstabber, cut-throater or basically any type of co-worker who has a penchant for being one of the annoying characters in the office then you might want to listen closely to what Brandon Moser has to say in his program called The Office Politics Ninja.
Come to think of it, you don’t even really have to be working in an office setup to be able to relate with the topics that the show tackles, because you can find the aforementioned personalities in any type of work environment. Anyway, Moser is a renowned speaker, author, consultant and radio host who’ll be sharing with you some very helpful tips on how to deal with the types of people that can make your life at work more toxic than it already is.
In its debut episode, Moser will talk about how you can make one of the more commonly used office tools to thwart aggressive email attacks, dodge political positioning. Find out the secrets and the best-kept email tricks of office bad guys and learn how to use it against them.
Download and listen to it over at iTunes. Feel free to check out its official website too.
If you think that you’re already too old for ghost stories then you might want to hold that thought until after you’ve listened to Lex Wahl’s podcast called Anything Ghost Show, which is an audio show where people get to share their own personal experiences of the paranormal.
The combination of Lex’s voice and the eerie background music complement each other so perfectly! I don’t want to exaggerate but his presentation is just top-notch. It’s the way he delivers the story, the cadence of his reading, the sound effects — all of the factors involved blend together very well like an orchestra; each piece falls exactly into place. To sum it all up, the end result is one very effective storytelling session. Some listeners even admit getting spooked as they listen to his show even with the lights on or in broad daylight!
So anyway, you still feeling confident that you won’t get the jitters by listening to this podcast? All right, how about we turn things up a notch and dare you to listen to it at night, using headphones, and with the lights out? How about it?
Do not underestimate your own imagination – all it takes is a little audio or visual cue to trigger your fear and the next thing you know is that you’ll keep looking over your shoulder.
When Iron Man 2 came out, everybody walked out of the theater happy after watching. Okay, most of them. Now though it’s true that it didn’t please everybody, the ones who criticized it brought up some pretty good points. Well, in this third installment, those who haven’t seen it yet can be rest assured that writer/director Shane Black has done well to avoid making the same mistakes.
Iron Man 3 feels much more of a comic book than its two predecessors as there are lots of comic book references made throughout the whole film, which will likely make a lot of readers of the title out there very happy and satisfied. Another thing that’s great about it is that this one doesn’t lead you on into thinking that there’s going to be another potential follow-up. It’s as if it’s almost safe to say that it is pretty much a standalone production, which I think is a good thing. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I there won’t be another one nor that I wish there wouldn’t.
Just like the previous ones, there’s a perfect balance between the comedic elements and the serious tone of the film, although I’m pretty sure that there’ll be people out there who’d beg to differ and say that the humorous scenes were too frequent.
To sum it up, we hardly get to find movie sequels that manage to outdo the first, which makes Iron Man 3 quite a bit of a rare gem. So I strongly suggest you go out and see it as soon as you can. You won’t regret it. Again, personally, I don’t think that seeing this in 3D is worth the price so I suggest you go with the regular format instead.
