Boyle is calling on talent to upload videos of themselves singing Silent Night onto YouTube. The winner of the international contest, which she has called The Susan Search, will have the opportunity to sing a duet with Boyle on her upcoming second album The Gift. She says she wants to help other aspiring singers.

“There are a lot of people out there who wouldn’t have the confidence or perhaps the means to enter a big competition like Britain’s Got Talent. So this might be a lot less daunting for some people as they can record the song in the privacy of their own home. I’m hoping that people who have always wanted to sing will give it a try. I wish you all good luck,” says Boyle.

Simon Cowell sent Boyle a 4-million-pound birthday present, her first royalties cheque of her debut album, ‘I Dreamed a Dream’. Syco, Simon Cowell’s company, released Susan’s record-breaking album that became the fastest selling album in British history, with more than 3.1 million copies being sold in the opening month.

Boyle, the Scottish singer, rose to fame on the TV’s Britain’s Got Talent show, when she sang the soul stirring ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, that wowed the entire world. Boyle was the runner-up of the show.

Before and After

Boyle has gone from strength to strength. In January 2010 Boyle sang on a Danish relief show, ‘The Denmark Collection’, at the Tivoli Concert Hall, in Copenhagen, to raise money for women were victims of the Haiti earthquake. Gone is the image of a frizzy haired, dowdy dressed unknown, from West Lothian, in Scotland.

Boyle has made guest appearances around the world, since her debut on Britain’s Got Talent, including singing at the Sanremo song festival, Italy and with the Yamiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, Japan. While in Japan Boyle celebrated her 49^th birthday with her fans, where she hosted a lavish party.

Boyle unexpectedly cancelled her Australian tour, where she was to sing at the Logies, stating she had to get rested so she could cut her second album.

In the meantime Boyle is taking legal action against her two brothers, for breach of privacy after they were interviewed. Brothers Gerry, 55 and John 59, apparently told a magazine about her career. The interview is reported to have deeply hurt the feelings of the singer. The brothers told the mag that the family is increasingly being ‘frozen out’ of the church volunteer’s life. They also commented on her cancelled Australian tour and supposedly bizarre behavior.

Following Britain’s Got Talent, Boyle was admitted to hospital, suffering from stress. After a show in New York recently, she broke down into tears and angrily hit out at the reports of the show. Boyle is said to be fed up with the constant intrusions into her private life.

Of more than a thousand parents surveyed with children aged between five and 12, half of them are however, divided on whether video games are a true social experience for children.

The survey, commissioned by video game makers THQ, shows 97% of Australian households own one or more video game consoles and 60% of parents spend an average of up to two hours a week playing video games with their kids.

Social demographer Mark McCrindle said four out of five video games are played as a family with the same number of parents saying they enjoy playing video games with their children.

The positive effects of video games can be seen where youngsters, who are undergoing painful treatment for ailments like cancer, can use video games to distract themselves from the pain for extended periods.

Certain video games that are used as part of a comprehensive program, can help autistic children and others with developmental disorders.

Studies have shown that video games can improve mental faculties, such as hand-eye coordination. More intelligent games such as strategy and puzzle games can also improve problem solving, and provide intellectual stimulation as well.

Some people however, believe violence in video games, promotes violent behavior among viewers. Studies show that video games can increase aggressive behavior and emotional outbursts and decrease inhibitions.

People, playing high-aggression games, were significantly more anxious than others who play only mildly aggressive games.

Akio Mori, professor at Tokyo’s Nihon University, divided 260 people into three groups: those who rarely played video games, those who played between 1 and 3 hours three to four times a week and those who played 2 to 7 hours each day. He monitored “the beta waves that indicate liveliness and degree of tension in the prefrontal region of the brain and alpha waves, which often appear when the brain is resting”

The results showed a higher decrease of beta waves the more one played video games. “Beta wave activity in people in the highest amount of video game playing, was constantly near zero, even when they weren’t playing, showing that they hardly used the prefrontal regions of their brains. Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn’t concentrate and had trouble associating with friends”.

The decrease of beta waves after the video game was turned off, implies a lasting effect.

The study shows that a lack of use of the frontal brain, or ‘video-game brain’, can change moods and could account for aggressive and reclusive behavior. If the brain is so impacted by video games as to create behavioral changes, does that mean that the brain perceives the games as real?

The final conclusion is that video games have both positive and negative effects on health, depending on the type of game played and its frequency and the balance of a healthy lifestyle.

His illusionary chalk drawings have been seen on the pavements of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. Beever gives his optical illusion drawings an incredible 3D illusion.

Beever has been doing pavement chalk drawings for over ten years. His works are created using a projection called anamorphosis and create the illusion of three dimensions when viewed from the correct angle. It is a modern example of trompe l’oeil – a French term that means literally ‘trick of the eye’.

Illusionary Chalk Drawings

Many of Beever’s drawings take a full day to complete. By the next day they are gone, through overnight dew and the many shoes of pedestrians. Beever’s art lives through the photographs that are taken at the time the drawing is completed.

Beever was originally a ‘Punch and Judy’ showman, before discovering his talent as a street artist in the 1980’s. He is now based in Belgium. He began his street drawing simply to fund his travels.

His earlier drawings were mainly portraits of well known personalities. They instantly grabbed the attention of the passers-by.

Beever says, “I soon realized that if you could make things appear to go into the pavement, you could equally make them appear to stand out of it”.

Born in Leicestershire, England, Beever attended Leeds University, where he studied Fine Art.

Chalk Drawings viewed from the wrong angle

When the chalk drawings are viewed from the wrong angle they are almost incomprehensible.

Illusionary chalk drawing

This is the same drawing, but when viewed from a particular angle it takes on a dimension all its own.

An influx of more than 130,000 flying foxes into Victoria was confirmed by scientists. With so many fox colonies on the move the AVA warns horse owners to be diligent in looking for signs of Hendra virus.

“Anyone working with horses should be on the lookout and immediately report any suspected cases of Hendra virus infection over the coming months,” AVA vice-president Barry Smyth said.

Common symptoms include respiratory distress, frothy nasal discharge, elevated body temperature (above 40 degrees), and rapid heart rate. However, Smyth said it was important to realize there were no specific signs of infection to date.

Since 1994, Hendra virus has been confirmed in 40 horses and seven humans, according toAVA. All the horses either died or were destroyed and four of the people died. All the cases of human infection with Hendra virus had been the result of very close contact with infected horses.

“The Hendra infection had so far been restricted to Queensland and New South Wales, but the disease could strike wherever there were flying foxes,” Dr Smyth said.

Where possible horses should be removed from fields where flying foxes are active and trees where flying foxes roost should be fenced off, Smyth advised. Protective measures include placing feed and water under cover where possible, not placing feed and water under trees when flying foxes are in the area, not using feed that might attract flying foxes (such as fruit and vegetables).

There is no specific treatment for Hendra virus infection in horses.

Flying foxes are among the largest species of bats, with wing spans of up to 6 feet and weighing an average of 2.5kilo.

“I like when my fingers move around and I like to make happy songs or sad songs. It’s really fun,” the first-grader told NBC.

On October 18^th, 2008, 8 year old third-grader Kailah Young, had been the youngest piano player to play Carnegie Hall. Kailah is also an expert harp player.

The phenomenon of very young talented musicians competing with skilled adult musicians is not a new one.

In May 2009 the world’s youngest string orchestra played Carnegie hall. It was only as the young players (aged up to 12 years old) slid from their seats and stood up at the finish of their performance, that the audience finally realized just how young the performers were.

William Crotch, Norwich, played the organ in St Jame’s Palace, before the King, in 1878, at the age of three and a half. He composed the oratorio The Captivity of Judah at the age of 14 and at 22 he became a professor at Oxford University.

The French Composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saens composed his first piece of music for the piano in 1839, at four years of age and gave his first public recital at five.

American Martin Gould published his first composition at 6 years old, in 1919. In 1995 he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

New Zealand’s greatest classical pianist, Richard Farrell, made his radio debut at age 4, in 1930. At seven Farrell performed his own composition in a public concert with the Wellington Symphony Orchestra.

Yo-Yo Ma, born to Chinese parents in France in 1955, performed before audiences at the age of 5. He played the cello before President John F Kennedy and Dwight D Eisenhower when he was seven. On October 3^rd, 2009, President Barrack Obama appointed Ma to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

French classical pianist, Ingmar Lazar made his public debut at age six, in 1999. At nine he gave a recital at the Garibaldi Theatre at Figline Valdamo in Italy.

Liz Taylor, still resplendent in her fabulous jewels, was photographed with Jason Winter, 49, who it is said has been seen together since 2007.

Elizabeth Mary Rosemond Taylor, born in 1932, is a dual citizen of the UK and U.S.A., appeared in her first movie at the age of nine. Taylor won her first, of two Academy Awards in 1960.

Young Elizabeth Taylor

Taylor is 7^th on American Film Institute Female Legends list. She is topped by Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman and Marilyn Monroe.

Taylor made her last appearance on the stage in December 2007, in a benefit performance which raised $1,250,000. Taylor has raised an estimated $50 million to fight Aids.

Liz Taylor has had a life-long love affair with diamonds, having owned the 33.19 carat Krupp Diamond and the 13.88 pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond. She also owns a 50-carat Le Peregrine Pearl, formerly owned by Queen Mary I of England.

Taylor launched three perfumes, Passion, White Diamonds and Black Pearls. Taylor celebrated the 15^th anniversary of White Diamonds sales in 2006. White Diamonds has been one of the top selling fragrances for more than the past decade. Annual sales for the three perfumes is estimated at $200 million.

Taylor has survived congestive heart failure, broken her back five times, had both her hips replaced, survived a benign brain tumour, skin cancer and faced life-threatening bouts of pneumonia twice. She is a recluse. She suffers from osteoporosis and was born with scoliosis.

An African immigrant to Italy revealed this week that he had been so inspired by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, that he named his child after him.

“I like the way Berlusconi talks, the way he moves. I like him as a person,” said Ghanian Anthony Boahene, who moved to Italy in 2002.

In 2002, a father in Germany hit the headlines when he was fined for naming his son Osama bin Laden.

Celebrities like to out-do each other in the strange-name stakes. Actor Nicholas Cage has a child named Kal-El Cappola Cage, after the birth name of Superman. In 2005 search engine billionaire expert Elias Kai and his wife Carol named their son Google Kai.

In 2008, a row between a U.S. family and their local supermarket hit the headlines. The supermarket had refused to provide a birthday cake for the couple’s three-year-old, that would have had to read: Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler. Adolf’s sister was named Aryan Nation.

Two years ago, a judge in New Zealand made a girl a ward of court so she could change her name. He also rebuked the parents for giving her the name Talula. Judge Rob Murfitt said that the name embarrassed the nine-year-old and could expose her to teasing.

Sweden has strict naming laws. In 2007 authorities rejected the name Metallica – after the rock group. It had previously rejected Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 – pronounced Albin.

Princess Tiammii; Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence; Sunday; Apple; Lark Song; Moon Unit; Ocean; Pilot Inspektor; Seven Sirius; Moxie Crime Fighter and Sage Moonblood.

Fifi Trixibell; Peaches and Pixie are the three names of one family.

Over the years musical performers have named their children such weird names as:

Elmo Isaac Dillinger Dean Samuel Sinbad Kirkwood;

Catherine Louisa St.Elmo Amelia Violet Presley Kirkwood;

Gunner Sixx Pennell;

Shiloh Nouvel Pitt;

Willow Camille Reign Smith

These names may mean something special to the parents, but it is the child who has to live with it.

In the tropical island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, parents have to gain the court’s permission before they are permitted to lumber their children with unusual names. Perhaps other countries should adopt the same policy.

Lawson attempted to stretch over and hand something to weatherman Don, during prime time televison. In doing so she fell off her seat in front of millions of Houston viewers.

“Whoa!” she yelled from the ground. Quick witted, Lawson continued, “Oh well! So much for that. Go on with the weather, go on!”

After reclaiming her seat, Lawson kept right on reading the news.

Congratulations have to go to the other members of the news team for not bursting into raucous laughter at the totally unexpected.

Making a mistake in public is not a new phenomenon.

Britney Spears said during a speech “I’ve never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don’t like eating fish. And I know that’s very popular out there in Africa.”

George W. Bush said “They misunderestimated me”

Arnold Schwarzenegger: “I think gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.”

Sarah Palin said when announcing her registration as governor, “It may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: ‘Sit down and shut up,’ but that’s the worthless, easy path; that’s a quitter’s way out.”

When Joe Biden was speaking to wheelchair-bound Missouri State Senator, Charles Graham, “Uh, uh, Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up, Chuck, let ‘em see you. Oh, God love you. What am I talking about.”

Rush Limbaugh said, “Exercise freaks … are the ones putting stress on the health care system.”

Brooke Shields said during an interview to become spokesperson for a federal anti-smoking campaign. “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.”

Steve Albert, Nets TV commentator asked “Are you any relation to your brother Marv?”

Raised by a solo mother, also a singer, after their father left – domestic violence was involved. Charice began singing to help support the family. At the age of 7 years old she started competing in amateur singing contests. It is believed she has entered over 80 singing contests.

Charice was eliminated in 2005, in the first round of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation’s Little Big Star, a Philippino version of American Idol. She was later called back as a wildcard and contender eventually became a finalist. However, Charice ended up in third place based on text voting.

In January 2009, Pempengco performed at two presidential pre-inaugural events in Washington, D.C., namely the Martin Luther King Jr Realizing The Dream Gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and at the Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala at the Mandarin Hotel. Charice was also invited to sing with Andrea Bocelli in Italy.

Charice dropped out of sight until Dae Duenas, an avid supporter, began posting videos of live performances on YouTube under the user name of FalseVoice. Charice became an Internet phenomenon. On her second appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show, Celion Dion agreed to sing with Charice.

David Foster, in an ABC News interview claimed that Charice has the ability to mimic other people’s voices, which he says is characteristic of good singers.

Charice’s voice has been likened to Whitney Houston. Houston began singing at the tender age of 11. Houston released her debut album at the age of 22. Houston is one of the world’s best-selling musical artists, having sold over 170 million records, worldwide. The Rolling Stone magazine listed Houston as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

According to the New York Times, Houston revitalized the tradition of gospel-oriented pop-soul singing and has had a significant influence on the music industry as a musical inspiration.

It is reported that the guy who threw the punch in the show, is a teacher from Queens, Brad Ferro.

The North Queens Community High School teacher tried to steal Nicole Polizzi’s (Snookie) cocktail. When confronted by her, Ferro punched the pint-sized star in the face, at the Beachcomber Bar and Grill in Seaside Heights.

Ferro was arrested, found guilty of simple assault and fined $500, given a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to take anger management classes.

Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman said that the punchy boozer had been told to lay off drinks because he appeared to be too drunk.

jersey shore stars

Jersey Shore is a reality show where eight, self described ‘guidos’ and guidettes’, live and party together for an entire alcohol fueled summer.

Reality television is a low cost genre of television that supposedly provides audience entertainment through unscripted, dramatic or humorous events, featuring ordinary people, instead of professional actors.

This genre can cover from quiz shows, elimination games, to surveillance focused productions such as Big Brother. It is a genre that uses sensationalism to attract the audience and thus generate advertising profit.

While many shows appear unscripted, frequently the participants are coached to act in a certain way by off screen ‘story editors’ or ‘segment producers’. Events and speech are often manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality, through editing and other post-production techniques.

In 2008 the Academy of Televison Arts and Sciences announced its first Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality-Competition Program. “Reality television has become such an integral part of television and our culture, so it only made sense for us to create this new highly competitive category,” TV academy Chairman and CEO John Shaffner said.

However reality tv can include, unreal environments, misleading editing, restaging, premeditated scripting and acting, misleading promises of winnings.

Tom Alderman, media analyst wrote, “There is a sub-set of Reality TV that can only be described as Shame TV because it uses humiliation as its core appeal.”