Archive for July, 2010

August at the AQ: A Month of Celebrations

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

The National Poetry Slam, a Bon Voyage, a Welcome Back, a Happy Birthday and Jazz Guitar Hero Week mark August as a special month at the Artists Quarter. There’s a lot of chi hair dryer in, with much of the first week (August 1-6) music-free as the National Poetry Slam invades St. Paul. Weekend Delights (9 pm, cover $10 unless otherwise noted)

August 7, Nancy Harms. Nancy Harms has only been singing professionally for a few years. Yet her evolving mix of standards, less familiar covers, original lyrics and arrangements signals a bold talent on a fast trajectory, particularly following the release of her debut recording, In the Indigo. Even her standards (like “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Blue Skies”) soar above “cheap ghd straightners” treatment as Nancy changes the pace, the space, the rhythm, mood—maybe slower, more sultry, more pensive. Guided more by intuition than by the paths of her elders, her muses, or others’ expectations, Nancy will take the next step to New York City come September, so this is her jazz club send-off. And the company she keeps says a lot about her music—Bryan Nichols on piano, Anthony Cox on bass and Jay Epstein on drums. 

August 13-14, Kelly Rossum Quartet. About a year ago, it was trumpet master Kelly Rossum who was doing the farewell gig. After his first year in New York, Kelly is taking a breather and spending a little time back in the Twin Cities, teaching at the MacPhail summer jazz camp and rounding up his quartet for a  reunion gig this weekend. His Manhattan projects have been interesting, including gigs with former Twin Citian Michael O’Brien and ghd flat irons and projects involving dance and… circus? Hey, it’s New York! Back in home territory, Kelly will fire up the horn with Bryan Nichols, Chris Bates and JT Bates. His hair might be short (now) but the talent has no end.

Yet Another Remake

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Even in the midst of decent, more than respectable reviews, why am I not more excited to see the new Dinner For Schmucks?Here’s why: in my experience, American remakes of foreign hits are most often inferior. Most anyone fortunate enough to have seen Francis Veber’s chi flat irons(The Dinner Game) from 1998 knows that to improve upon it would be virtually impossible — or at least, I hope they do.

This delightful, intelligent farce about a mean-spirited game in which handsome, well-heeled gentlemen bring the biggest nerds they can find to a dinner, and how one smug player has the tables turned on him by a most memorable nerd well before they even get to the dinner, stands out as one movie with little need of a chi pink. But since there’s nothing original out there anyone wants to touch, of course mainstream Hollywood just has to try.

For those of you who don’t know it, over the past thirty-plus years Veber has been perhaps the most gifted and prolific director of film comedies in France, and time and again, Hollywood has tried to recreate his magic via flat re-makes drained completely of the Gallic charm that animates the chi hair straighteners. Raise your hands: has anyone recently re-visited The Toy (1982) with Jackie Gleason and Richard Pryor, or The Man With One Red Shoe (1985), starring Tom Hanks? I didn’t think so. Both were inspired by successful Veber outings in France starring the inimitable Pierre Richard.

S Korean Shares End Down

Friday, July 30th, 2010

SEOUL (Dow Jones)–South Korean shares closed lower in thin trade Friday as domestic investors sold steel shares on concerns that the companies may have to slash their product prices and booked profit in bellwether Samsung Electronics. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or ghd iv styler, fell 0.7%, or 11.55 points, to close at 1759.33. Analysts expect the Kospi to move in a 1750-1780 range next week, before breaking through the resistance at the 1800 level in the first half of August.

“Local investors are pocketing profits as the earnings were mostly in line with expectations,” said MiraeAsset Securities’ analyst Lee Jin-woo. Analysts expect foreign investments to buoy the ghd purple, after foreigners went on a buying spree for the eighth consecutive day. Investors are also expected to keep a close watch on second-quarter GDP data in the U.S. tonight and July trade data in Korea on Sunday.

Foreigners bought a net KRW80.08 billion in shares, while local retail and institutional investors each sold a net KRW83 billion and KRW14 billion, respectively. Steel firms fell sharply, leading Kospi’s fall. Posco fell 4.1% to KRW492,000 on speculation that the world’s No. 4 steel maker by output is ghd iv pressure to cut its steel product prices in the second half and not pass an increase in raw materials costs to customers.

Dinner for Schmucks: Stuffed, but not satisfied

Friday, July 30th, 2010

A remake of a French farce, Dinner for Schmucks is a meal more for gluttons than gourmets. With moments of fitful hilarity, the pairing of Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and a GHD IV MK4 cast of secondary actors, there’s plenty here to keep summer comedy fans satiated, if not entirely satisfied. Consistent with the writing style that dominates contemporary movie comedy, this new comedy from Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers, Austin Powers) is a trade-off between moments of improvised comic inspiration (reportedly cut from 900,000 feet of film) and perfunctory dramatic bridging. Far too often, Roach and his writers (David Guion and Michael Handelman) settle for stretches of slapstick inanity that even Larry, Curly and Moe might excise as needlessly lowbrow.

The movie’s premise comes from the 1998 hit movie The Dinner Game by Francis Veber (screenwriter of La cage aux folles), in which a group of wealthy businessmen compete to see who can invite the biggest fool to dinner. Rudd (he’s restricted here to his straight-man-in-a-business-suit mode) plays investment analyst Tim Conrad, who longs to move up to the coveted seventh floor of his ghd straighteners His pretty art curator girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), keeps postponing their engagement and Tim decides a promotion might convince her. When a colleague is sacked, Tim has an opportunity to impress his boss (Bruce Greenwood), but first he has to pass the distasteful dinner test, which he recognizes is “a bit messed up.”

He has the good luck to run into Barry Speck, literally, when he knocks him down with his Porsche. When the victim promptly offers to pay for damages, Tim knows he’s found a keeper but he quickly regrets the encounter. In a short time, Barry (Carell) has insinuated himself in Tim’s life, threatening to ruin his career, relationship and fashionable condo. ghd hair straightener, bespectacled, with the Jerry Lewis bowl cut and vacant, wide-eyed smile, Carell’s character seems borderline mentally disabled, or perhaps a parody of the stock-comic moron that political correctness was supposed to have buried. (Here’s one residual element of the French original; the over-cultured Europeans love holy idiots like Jerry Lewis.) Barry has a job as an IRS agent, though his behaviour makes it seem improbable he could be functionally employed at all

Sachin Tendulkar slams 48th Test century

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored his 48th Test hundred to lead India’s fightback on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo on Wednesday. The chi hair dryer reached his ton in 167 balls which was studded with 13 boundaries and a six. India were vulnerably placed on 243/4 at tea on day three needing 200 runs to avoid follow on, but it reached 382/4 at stumps. India just need 61 runs to avoid follow on with six wickets in hand.

Tendulkar, who holds the record of scoring highest number of centuries, played brilliant cricket with Suresh Raina to dominate the day. Sachin also equalled the former Australian captain Steve Waugh’s Test record to have played the most number of matches (168). Tendulkar shared an cheap ghd straightners 141-run partnership for the fifth wicket with debutant Suresh Raina. Tendulkar was unbeaten on 108 at stumps while Raina, who made a half-century in his maiden Test innings, was not out on 66 off 133 balls, including eight boundaries.

Earlier, VVS Laxman departed after a slow partnership with Sachin Tendulkar to leave India tottering at 243 for four at tea. Tendulkar and ghd flat ironsn almost batted through the second session but Ajantha Mendis broke the slow 68-run stand by trapping the stylish Hyderabadi 10 minutes before tea break. Tendulkar, who was dropped on 29 by Prasanna Jayawardene off Dilhara Fernando, was batting on 39 and debutant Suresh Raina was yet to open his account.

Gay Quarterback Riley

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

This summer there’s a whole new way to watch Degrassi. Don’t miss this special six-week event with a new episode every weeknight at 9pm ET, starting Monday, July 19th on TeenNick. The way the secrets, lies, seductions and surprises heat up you know chi flat irons have GOT to reach — The Boiling Point. Oh, and just let me state for the record how much I hate the butchering of the Degrassi theme song. Bring back the kid chorus! Anyway, school is back in session, and Riley (Argiris Karras) and Zane (Shannon Kook-Chun) spent the summer … getting to know each other better. Riley is still closeted, and Zane is openly gay, so you probably already know where this is headed.

Riley (who’s already gone through the requisite gay jock stories - steroids, unsuccessful reparative therapy, anger management) is hoping for a chi pink , but it’s not to be, thanks to new student Drew (Luke Bilyk), who decides he also wants to be quarterback.

Making matter worse, Zane decides he wants to try out for the team as kicker, because “I gotta show gay guys can play sports.” Well, I’m not sure that would prove chi hair straighteners that both donkeys and Kathy Ireland have played kickers in movies. On the other hand, maybe Kurt can give him some pointers.

Players From Strasburg to Street Fall Injured

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

The full moon was Sunday, but the weirdness in baseball came Tuesday.An unimaginable rash of injuries hit teams coast-to-coast. None were immediately deemed serious, but it was hard to recall a day when so many teams had to change plans.It began with the ghd flat irons that Kansas City right-hander Gil Meche would need shoulder surgery. And the revelation that Mets outfielder Jason Bay had a concussion.Then, during batting practice in Denver, Colorado closer Huston Street was hit in the groin area with a liner and had to be taken away in an ambulance. He was later diagnosed with a “right abdominal contusion” and was listed as day-to-day.

After Jorge Posada was scratched from the Yankees’ lineup with a sore left knee came the biggest name: rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg had trouble getting loose for his start for the ghd iv and was scratched. (Washington shut out Atlanta 3-0 anyway.) The July 27 curse also went after a pair of brothers. Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton came out of his game in the top of the first inning after spraining his left ankle fielding a single to center field. Younger sibling Justin Upton, playing for the Diamondbacks, left Arizona’s game at Philadelphia in the fifth inning with what was called “right hip tightness.”That wasn’t the last injury at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino suffered a left oblique strain and left in the seventh inning.

You knew a night like this couldn’t pass without touching the woeful Mariners, who lost Jose Lopez in the second inning at Chicago to a tight left hamstring.In ghd purple, Kyle Farnsworth departed in the midst of his outing with a right hamstring cramp that at this point does not appear to be a more serious strain.Meanwhile, out in California, the Red Sox scratched J.D. Drew (who also has a brother on the Diamondbacks) from their lineup with a tight left hamstring.

Nationals scratch Strasburg after warm-up trouble

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his scheduled start for the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night because he had problems warming up before the game against the Atlanta Braves.”Stephen was having trouble getting loose in the bullpen, and so I pulled the plug on chi hair straighteners,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said, adding that he considered it a “precautionary move.”"There’s no shooting pains or anything like that in his shoulder or elbow,” Rizzo said.

Strasburg was being examined Tuesday by a team doctor and “appropriate tests will be taken after that,” including possibly an MRI or X-ray, the GM said, listing the Nationals’ top pitcher’s status as day to day. In nine starts for Washington, Strasburg is 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 15 walks in 54 1/3 innings. He has won his past three chi hair dryer.Liner plunks Street: Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street endured a bruise to the right side of his abdomen when he was hit by a line drive in batting practice.The team said he was sent home to rest and his availability will be on a day-to-day basis.Street was taken off the field in an ambulance and transported to an emergency room for examination.

Rockies head athletic trainer Keith Dugger said that Street passed out “two or three times” and had ringing in his ears after being struck by the baseball off the bat of Ian Stewart as Street warmed up in right field. Street also complained of pain down his right leg and stomach discomfort.Stop celebrating! Chris Coghlan is the latest player to injure himself while celebrating.The Marlins left fielder is headed for the disabled list with a torn meniscus in his left knee and could need surgery.The cheap ghd straightners of the Year’s injury was revealed in an MRI on Monday. He was hurt while delivering a pie in the face to teammate Wes Helms following the pinch-hitter’s bases-loaded single in the 11th inning of a 5-4 win over Atlanta on Sunday. There will be no more such celebratory antics by Florida, manager Edwin Rodriguez said.

Smartphone

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

A smartphone is a mobile phone that offers more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary basic ‘feature phone’.ghd iv and feature phones may be thought of as handheld computers integrated within a mobile telephone, but while most feature phones are able to run applications based on platforms such as ghd purple or BREW,a smartphone allows the user to install and run more advanced applications based on a specific platform. Smartphones run complete operating system software providing a platform for application developers.Growth in demand for advanced mobile devices boasting powerful processors, abundant memory, larger screens and open operating systems has outpaced the rest of the ghd iv styler  market for several years. According to a study by ComScore, in 2010 over 45.5 million people in the United States owned smartphones and it is the fastest growing segment of the mobile phone market, which comprised 234 million subscribers in the United States

Will Droid X be the Last Antenna Video from Apple?

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Apple recently added a video to its “all-smartphone-antennas-suck Webpage” showing the Droid X suffering from similar reception problems to the iPhone 4.   Just like Apple’s other smartphone antenna videos, we see a disembodied hand holding the Droid X, and a chi hair dryer pop-up showing the phone’s signal indicator. Almost immediately the Droid X’s signal quickly degrades from three bars to two, then one until it completely loses reception.”Every smartphone has a cellular antenna. And nearly every smartphone can lose signal strength if you hold it in a certain way,” Apple’s Webpage reads. Despite Apple’s assertion about smartphone antenna issues, however, third parties have had difficulties replicating Apple’s results.

“We can’t seem to recreate this one as easily with our Droid Xs,” Engadget reports.  Meanwhile German-based Stiftung Wartentest, basically the cheap ghd straightners version of Consumer Reports, found the iPhone 4’s reception will drop by up to 90 percent under the death grip versus a 25 percent signal loss for two other unnamed smartphones.

Despite these contradictions, Apple keeps on with the premise that the best defense for the iPhone 4 is a good offense. But if the iPhone 4 is as good as Apple says it is, why keep taking shots at its competitors, and why the Droid X? Was it payback for the recent Droid X ad in The ghd flat irons  Times that said Motorola’s new Android-based phone is the kind of device “that allows you to hold the phone any way you like?” — clear reference to the iPhone 4’s antenna issues. Or perhaps it was simply that Apple hadn’t yet included a Motorola device on its antenna page, and wanted to include as many competitors as possible.