Movie star stunt doubles

Spot the difference… is that Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman on a bike, or her stunt woman? It’s tough to tell with the cat-mask. (Credit: Rex)

Movie star stunt doubles

Silver foxes… Anthony Molinari is one of Hollywood’s top stuntmen and has doubled for the likes of Mark Ruffalo (who he looks a lot like) and Jeremy Renner. Here he is with George Clooney on the set of ‘Leatherheads’. (Credit: IMDB)

Movie star stunt doubles

Separated at birth… it’s the ‘True Lies’ set, with Arnold Schwarzenegger alongside regular stunt double Billy Lucas, who is heavily made up. The pair are close; Arnie visited Lucas in hospital in 2010. (Credit: Rex)

Venus Williams Suffers Round 1 Defeat At Wimbledon

Tennis pro extraordinaire Venus Williams (pictured) went up against Russian rival Elena Vesnina, 25, on Monday and lost during the first round of the women’s singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Williams, who is a five-time Wimbledon champion, experienced for the first time since her debut at the tournament in 1997 the bitter taste of a first-round defeat. Vesnina, a doubles expert who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon three years ago, beat Williams in straight sets in a 6-1, 6-3 defeat in an hour and fifteen minutes.


According to some spectators, Williams looked listless while trying to keep up her competitive edge against Vesnina. Since being diagnosed last year with the little-known autoimmune disorder Sjögren’s syndrome (pronounced show-grens), which saps not only energy levels but is also commonly accompanied by joint pain, Williams has been placed under a microscope.
Over the last year, the 32-year-old has been criticized for looking glum and lacking verve on the court. Williams’ world rankings has fallen to 58th since being diagnosed with the disorder.
All is not lost for Williams, though: She will join sister and fellow tennis-pro Serena in a game of doubles at the tournament. She is also expected to be back in London in about a month to compete in the Summer Olympics.
As far as losing at Wimbledon on Monday, Williams is keeping her head to the sky, telling ESPN, “I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself,” she said. “I’m not going to give up on it. … There’s no way I’m going to just sit down and give up just because I have a hard time the first five or six tournaments back. That’s just not me.”

Italian Newspaper Depicts Black Soccer Player As King Kong

Italian newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, published a photo of Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli depicted as King Kong (pictured), the New York Daily News reports.

It seems that the message behind the photo was suppose to show Balotelli toppling England (which they did in yesterday’s Euro Cup Semifinals). But obviously, the photo was poorly executed
Balotelli, who was born in Italy but is of Ghanian descent, expressed his fears about anticipated racism in Ukraine and Poland before the tournament started.
“Let’s see what happens at the Euro. I hope that there will not be a problem,” he told France Footall. “Because I really can’t handle that.”
“I cannot bear racism, it’s unacceptable for me. If it had happened again I would straight away leave the pitch and go home. We are in 2012. It can’t happen,” the 21-year-old added.
Euro Cup 2012 has been the target of robust media coverage over concerns of racism in the tournament’s host countries, Ukraine and Poland. Here is more on this story by the Daily News:

Despite efforts to stem any racist outbursts, racism has been an issue at the month-long tournament. In Italy’s group-play match against Croatia, Croatian fans directed racist chants at Balotelli and a banana was thrown onto the pitch during the match. The Croatian Football Federation was fined 80,000 euros ($106,000) last week for their fans’ actions.

I lived in Eastern Europe for four years–more than a year in Ukraine–and I am the first person to recognize the ills of racism in both nations. Though I do feel the western media’s reporting on racism in Ukraine and Police is a bit much.

The West has its own issues.

For example, Italy is experiencing rising trends of racism and its ex-Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who upon meeting America’s first Black President, said he was “young, handsome and tanned.” If Berlusconi remarks were said out of ignorance, then he truly defies the stereotype of the “cultured Italian.”

Given that an Italian publication is the guilty party of the racism, I wonder if western media outlets will rationalize this photo as harmless? Or will they go as hard on Italy as they have on Ukraine or Poland?

I doubt it.

 

.Culled from newsone

Dr. Murray is Eating Cat Food To Survive Jail?

Conrad Murray (pictured), the cardiologist who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of pop icon Michael Jackson and who was sentenced to four years in prison as a result, has reportedly lost more than 30 pounds in jail. The good doctor is also bellyaching about the jail conditions, complaining that not only did the bad smelling water give him dysentery, but he is also allegedly suffering from a poor diet that he says is “ruining his health,” reports TMZ.
Since Murray, 59, cannot bring himself to eat the food that the jail provides, he has reportedly taken it upon himself to survive on what he calls “cat food,” which he purchases from the commissary. Murray, who arrived at the jail last November, has been purchasing canned fish products, such as canned tuna at $4.25 a can, salmon flakes for $3.50 a pop, and canned mackerel at $2.50. Murray says that he must be the only human on earth who is being forced to survive on canned mackerel.
Reportedly, Murray has filed countless appeals to get out of jail due to his failing health. Now whether Murray’s pleas will continue to fall on deaf ears is yet to be seen. However, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore, Murray’s criticisms of his digs might be an extreme exaggeration. “All inmates receive the proper nutrition and medical care that is required by law, but the sheriff’s department goes above and beyond what is required,”

JOKES!! JOKES!! JOKES!!

I visited my Chinese friend who was dying in hospital. He kept saying ‘CHIN YU YAN’ ‘CHIN YU YAN’ before he died. When I asked another Chinese friend the meaning of my friend’s last words, he told me it means ‘YOU ARE STANDING ON THE OXYGEN TUBE’ ‘YOU ARE STANDING ON THE OXYGEN TUBE’ Pls who killed my friend?