The Beauty of NOWNESS ....'Strong is Beautiful'

Unexpected intrusions of beauty. That's what life is- Saul Bellow
                                                                   
I experienced those words penned by Saul Bellow in his novel 'Herzog',  upon discovering NOWNESS (NOWNESS.com).  The lifestyle website features captivating images about art, music, sports, design, in other words life.

Recently NOWNESS featured Dewey Nicks: Strong is Beautiful. The beauty of Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams, among other Grand Slam Champions is portrayed like you've never seen. As Bellow wrote,  an unexpected intrusion of beauty...







Take a look at a clip from the video:


Dewey Nicks: Strong is Beautiful on Nowness.com.

(http://www.nowness.com/day/2011/9/1/1611/dewey-nicks-strong-is-beautiful)

ADELE - Skyfall

California Gas Prices Soar Toward $7

California Gas Prices Soar Toward $7: ABCNEWS.COM - Brandi Hitt investigates the increasing costs at the gas pump.

The iPhone 5 Effect

Here we are again. The 2012 edition of Apple Inc's, iPhone debut, is upon us. This all started on June 29, 2007 - the day the world as we knew it, changed. The 3G iPhones, with an AT&T contract, were first sold on that day. Ever since, all of our lives have been touched by….

The iPhone Effect

Apple's touchscreen iPhone will be remembered as a turning point in the ongoing technology revolution. In 2007, the Finnish communications giant, Nokia's stock was trading at U.S. $40.00 a share. Today the stock is trading below U.S. $3.00. Since 2007,Research in Motion -the Canadian telecommunication behemoth, best known for it's Blackberry mobile phone- has lost over $70 billion in market share. Meanwhile Apple has become the most valuable public company in history. Chalk it up to…

The iPhone effect

Wireless carriers At&T, Verizon and others have seen their revenue soar. 2nd quarter revenue for the industry has grown from $5.2 billion in 2007 to over $17 billion in 2012. A very interesting part of the revenue growth is the "upgrade" revenue, yearly iPhone releases spur. Take a look at this chart:

Yes, Google's Android operating system is the world's largest smartphone platform. Let's face it, none of the many Android powered mobile phones have the caché (not to be confused with cache) of the iPhone. A further example of the iPhone influence, is Google's response to Apple's not installing the YouTube application on it's next iPhone. What to do? Google not wanting to miss out, released a new YouTube application in Apple's App Store.  Call it the beginning of…

The iPhone 5 effect

So, the question is -how will the iPhone 5 impact you and me? Will we be upgrading from our current iPhones or Android powered mobile phones to the highly anticipated, new and upgraded iPhone 5? If we're going to be honest, we're all at least thinking about it. Yep…

The iPhone 5 effect

Stay tuned...

Anne Hathaway's "Got It" in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

12:01 a.m. Thursday, July 20 can't arrive soon enough for millions around the country. Warner Brothers and Christopher Nolan will release their super-secretive film 'The Dark Knight Rises', to the public. This third and final installment of Nolan's interpretation of the Bruce Wayne/Batman character is bold, ambitious and well... you'll insert your own words.

Why so secretive? Because loose lips sink ships. Warner Brothers and Christopher Nolan have no bigger flagship than the Batman franchise. Nolan has proven to be quite the storyteller and he wants the audience to fully experience this film. The question of all questions about this final entry is the big one - Will Batman die at the end? At approximately 3:45 a.m. the public will finally have the answer. Stay tuned....

There is one secret i can discuss about this film. The secret known as Anne Hathaway and her performance as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. This is not the same Anne Hathaway from 'The Princess Diaries'. What a surprise! Simply stated Ms. Hathaway's "got it" in her portrayal. In fact, she even states as much in the film. Take a look:

You know the expression, "Behind every successful man is a woman"? As you just saw from the clip even The Batman realizes that in 'The Dark Knight Rises'. Watching the dance between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Selina Kyle/Catwoman is worth the price of admission. Actually the performances of Christain Bale and Anne Hathaway are memorable. Of course, the entire cast and crew should be congratulated for a job well done! So much more to say, but less is more sometimes. How about letting Ms. Hathaway speak for herself:

Yes, Anne Hathaway's "Got It" in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield Sizzle In "The Amazing Spiderman'

Article first published as Gwen Stacy Inspires 'The Amazing Spider-Man' on Technorati.

Spider-Man is back, finally. It's been five years since we last saw "Spidey" on the big-screen. The Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man trilogy from 2002 - 2007, captivated audiences worldwide and generated $2.5 billion in box office gross.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone star in Sony Pictures 'The Amazing Spiderman'

Spider-Man fans awaited the fourth installment, when Sony Pictures Entertainment announced to the world in 2010, their decision to reboot the franchise. Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) was tapped to direct, with Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) cast to replace Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. As if that wasn't enough, the reboot focuses on Gwen Stacy as the love interest for Peter Parker, not Mary Jane Watson. Peter Parker/Spider-Man without Mary-Jane?

Actually, yes. In fact, the Gwen Stacy character portrayed by Emma Stone, might end up being the difference maker in this reboot. Gwen Stacy, is not a new character in the Marvel comics Spider-Man. In the comics, Gwen Stacy has a profound effect on the life of the teenager Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Director Marc Webb sums it up best:

Gwen Stacy in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' film, is beautiful, popular, loves science and is the valedictorian of her class. Sounds like a girl that would interest Peter Parker, right? Of course, the challenge is how does an orphaned teenager with a less than solid sense-of-self, and a big secret, attract his dream girl?

As much as Spider-Man is about the adventures and battles of a high school student with amazing arachnid superpower,  it's also always been about a boy and his love for a girl. Marc Webb is a director that knows how to capture the ebb and flow of relationships between the sexes. Intelligent, beautiful, strong-willed females and the impact they have on the men in their lives is a specialty of Webb. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man have genuine chemistry in the film. Take a look at this clip from the film:

Sony's decision to reboot the beloved Spider-Man franchise is a bold move. Will the Gwen Stacy/Peter Parker relationship coupled with a tweaked backstory be enough for Spider-Man fans worldwide? Will audiences embrace Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in Marc Webb's reboot?

'The  Amazing Spider-Man' opens on July 3, 2012 at 12:01 a.m on Imax screens across the country. 

New Orleans Hornets Score In The 2012 NBA Draft

Anthony Davis the #1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

"With the first pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Hornets select Anthony Davis."

"With the tenth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Hornets select Austin Rivers from Duke University."

Those two sentences uttered by NBA League Commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA draft, immediately changed the fortunes of the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets have come a long way in a short period of time. Woeful, might be a word used to describe New Orleans, just a few months ago. Today, two of the most exciting players from the college game are taking their talents (thanks LeBron) to NOLA.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Anthony Davis anchored the Kentucky squad in their 2011-12 NCAA Championship season. Austin Rivers, son of NBA Head Coach Doc Rivers, was polarizing at Duke. He'll be remembered for the shot over rival North Carolina's Tyler Zeller, with time expiring for the incredible comeback win.


New Orleans resident guard, Eric Gordon is probably smiling today, in anticipation of playing with his new teammates. Actually, the city of New Orleans should join Gordon in welcoming Davis and Rivers to the Crescent City. If the rookies live up their billing, New Orleans just might be a team to watch in the upcoming season.

In other draft notes, history was made when Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were drafted #1 and #2. It's the first time ever, the top two picks in the NBA draft came from the same school. Kentucky and North Carolina each had four players selected in the first round of the draft.

Speaking of smiling, David Stern may have the biggest smile of all. LeBron James finally has his crown as King. New Orleans is no longer league-owned, and rebuilding with a good nucleus of young, talented players. Last but not least, USA Basketball will be on full display, for the world to see, during the 2012 London Olympics.

It's good to be the King (thanks Mel Brooks)